Tobari Shinobi: Shinou Scandal
by HanaIchi Ikari
Summary: Tobari Shinobi Academy is a ninja school where only shinobi, male ninjas, attend. Arceus forbids female students, for they would be in danger. What would happen if Crecelia and Hikari decide to prove them wrong? IkariShipping. AUOOC/Japanese Names Used.
1. Hikari Cresselia's Mission

_A/N: No, this is NOT a replacement of Ribbon of Royalty. It still has Hikari crossdressing along with Shinji and Reiji being a royalty._

_Note: Shinou/Sinnoh, Hikari/Dawn, Ayako/Joanna, Shinji/Paul, Reiji/Reggie, Jun/Barry, Satoshi/Ash, Takeshi/Brock, Kasumi/Misty, Haruka/May, Nozomi/Zoey, Leaf/Leaf_

**Tobari Shinobi: Shinou Scandal****  
CH ****1****:**** Hikari Cresselia's Mission**

**Prologue**

Shinou – one of the largest regions ever – is the only region that has a ninja school. This isn't your average Pokémon regions, though. This is a world where Pokémon are spirits and they can become one with a human they choose. However, it is only the male villagers who can become so.

This region has the largest ninja academy of all the other villages and towns. It is located in Tobari Village, the second largest village in Shinou.

In this world, there are only shinobi. Every year, there are young boys from each village or town that becomes one with a Pokémon. Be it female or male, legendary or average Pokémon, they do not matter. However, female ninjas are prohibited. If a Pokémon ever does choose them, the spirit solidifies and becomes as real as a person. The female who is with it is chosen to attend Tobari Shinobi Academy as a medic.

Reiji is the kind and bright eighteen-year-old who takes care of Shinou with a legendary Pokémon named Arceus. Yes, it's quite early for someone like him to be in a throne, but he's not the king. He is a prince. A king does not exist in Shinou, for a king would only bring chaos if the power is taken improperly.

Reiji's little brother is Shinji, who also lives with a legendary Pokémon named Darkrai. Shinji is the indifferent and composed thirteen-year-old who is a ninja-in-training. Shinji attends Tobari Shinobi Academy and he is the Top 1 student there.

Arceus, the actual Pokémon, forbids the Pokémon to become one with female villagers. He is not being stereotypical. It is simply for their safety, for they cannot take the burdens of becoming one with a Pokémon. The female villagers that attend Tobari Shinobi Academy are only medics, simply medics. They must be approved by Arceus first.

But what happens when a certain legendary Pokémon decides to make a change in this rule? What will happen when the legendary Pokémon becomes one with a girl?

~.~.~

"_Where am I…?" A dark blue-haired girl looked around where sky blue, pink, and light violet colors glowed. She looked forward to see a Pokémon. It had a blue, swan-like body with a yellow underside. There were two magenta tufts forming an arc around the chest with glowing pink wings at the sides. Her eyes widened. It was none other than the legendary… "Cresselia!"_

"_Hikari, I have chosen you to become one." Cresselia's voice sounded like wonderful chimes._

"_W-whoa, whoa, wait!" She held out a hand. "Wait, why me? Arceus forbids Pokémon to become one with a female!"_

_Cresselia glided forward, concern in her eyes. "Please… I want to make a change in this rule. I want to show that even a female can survive like a male with a female Pokémon like me."_

_Hikari hesitated. "But… won't I get captured and be sent into prison if they find out?"_

"_Please do not worry. I have heard of you before. You are known as Hikaru – a boy – no?" she smiled. "You can definitely pass. I have been watching you for quite a while."_

"_O-oh, is that so?" She scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. _

_After a moment of silence, the Pokémon spoke up again. "Will you please help me?"_

_In a few seconds of thought, the girl looked up with determination. "Yes, I will help you." She smiled, nodding. _

"_Thank you. I will always be one with you and forever promise to be your companion and protection." Her pink eyes gleamed. "It is nice to meet you."_

"_I will also forever be your friend and protection." The girl's blue eyes grasped Cresselia's paws. "I'll be in your care."_

_As they became one, a light enveloped them._

Hikari woke up. She panted. "W-was that a dream?"

"H-Hikari…" She looked up to see her mother, Ayako, staring at her with wide eyes. "W… What happened to you?"

"M-mom? What are you talking about?"

Her mother rushed to the corner of Hikari's room, where a life-sized mirror was placed. She angled it to Hikari, letting her see what has happened to her body.

Hikari wore a blue ninja overall with a yellow sash. Three small pink wings grew out of her back. Her hair tie's clip became a golden crescent shape. Her eyes were a glowing pink. Her neck had a blue ribbon collar with an overlapping gold crescent and pink rings hanging on the front.

"I…" She gulped, taking a deep breath. "It wasn't a dream after all…" Hikari fell on her bed, shocked by her own sudden appearance. "Mom, I became one with Cresselia."

"C… Cresselia…?" Ayako tried to keep calm. "Hikari, you have to attend Tobari Shinobi Academy."

"I know that." Hikari got up, now realizing her duty from now on. "Mom, I want to attend. It's Cresselia and my only chance of changing this… this… blasted, sexist school admission rules!" When she saw her mother hesitating, she clasped her hands together. "Mom, please! You know I've always wanted to go there, no matter what!"

Ayako first led her downstairs to have some breakfast. As she poured some coffee, she replied, "I know, dear, but how are you going to survive?"

Hikari sipped her cup of coffee. "Mom, I've been surviving as a boy since I started to walk!" She nearly slammed her cup down. "I know what to do, mom. I know how to act like one, I know how to fight like one, and, heck, I can even lower my voice enough to talk like a guy!"

"Hikari, that's not exactly what I was talking about…" Ayako sat down at the opposite end of the table. "It's your breasts. You are a girl after all." She sighed, resting her cheek on her hand. "When you grow older, you know they're going to grow."

"O-oh…" Hikari blushed and ate the rest of her breakfast. "But you're right, mom…" She looked at her chest underneath the ninja uniform. It wasn't that revealing, but it wasn't exactly flat either. "What should I do?"

"Well, you can wrap your chest with bandages…"

"Huh…" She waved a finger in the air. "Yeah, that could work."

~.~.~

"Shinji, today's the day!" Reiji chimed. He walked next to his little brother, who was preparing for Tobari Shinobi Academy. "New students are coming!" Reiji wore a white robe and had plum-colored hair with a streak of yellow striking it. He also had red eyes and green sharp, cross-like marks under his eyes. He wore yellow, fingerless gloves and a golden sash with a cross-like wheel at the back.

"Tch, this is so troublesome. Why do we get more students when they can't even train or fight right?" Shinji also had the same color hair as Reiji, except there were highlights of white in his hair. His ninja uniform was completely black. Of course, this was only his human form.

Reiji groaned, shaking his head. "We've talked about this before. It's to let the students use their full potential and creativity with their Pokémon. Have you not gotten the message?"

Shinji rolled his onyx eyes. "Whatever."

The older brother sighed. "I hope your new roommates will energize you up a bit more…"

"So I'm getting new roommates, huh?" Shinji finished packing his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "Who are they?"

Reiji shrugged. "I don't know yet. Arceus is still analyzing the region to see the Pokémon that joined with a villager." He looked up in thought. "He's almost done, so it shouldn't be long."

"How many new students are there so far?"

"Just about 70." The prince suddenly froze. "Oh, it's done. The sorting is done too." He crossed his arms. "Arceus, that's not being fair!" A hand-sized Arceus leapt out from his chest. "You said that I could do the sorting!"

"_Oh, Reiji,"_ Arceus chuckled. _"You should know that I already know what your heart desires."_ Reiji and Arceus laughed together. Shinji had sighed, looking at Darkrai, who were perched on his shoulder. _"Ah, Darkrai. I see you're awake."_

"_Tch, how can I be sleeping with Reiji blabbering about the new students…?"_

Darkrai and Shinji had grown quite fond of each other, due to their similar personalities. The two glared at Reiji, who laughed nervously.

Arceus smugly shook his head. _"Well, we must get going."_ When he placed himself on Reiji's shoulder, he took a glance at Shinji. _"Shinji-Kun, your new roommates will be Hikaru Cresselia and Jun Rayquaza from Futaba Town."_

"Rayquaza and Cresselia, huh?" Shinji murmured. "Hn."

Meanwhile, Darkrai was tense… Really, really tense.

~.~.~

"Well, I'm off, mom." Hikari hugged her mother good bye and went on her way. Her shoulder bag contained 5 pairs of clothes and a pair of sandals. Three rolls of bandages were also packed. "I'll make sure to visit you when I have the time." Currently, she was in her human form. She only had the three wings on her back along with the crescent hair tie.

Her hair was slightly cut in layers and her longer hair was tied into a small ponytail at the bottom. She actually looked like a boy.

"Good luck. I'll write to you once in a while, okay?"

Hikari nodded. She ran outside and leapt up into the air. Her wings grew bigger in an instant and she flew over to Tobari Village.

"_Hikari."_ Cresselia's voice was heard from Hikari's right shoulder.

"Hey, Cresselia!"

"_Arceus has just given me a message about your roommates."_ Cresselia was silent for a moment to jog her memory. _"Jun Rayquaza from your town and Shinji… Darkrai… from Tobari Village."_

Hikari cocked a brow. Did Cresselia just hesitate? She shrugged it off. "Is that so? I hope I can get along with them."

"_Yes… I hope so too."_

When they arrived, they haven't seen much students enter the school yet.

"We sure came early…" Hikari checked her watch and it read 7:43 AM. "Maybe I can check out my dorm…" When she landed, her wings shrunk. As she entered, she saw a boy ahead of her. "Who is that?"

"_It's… Darkrai."_ / _"It's… Cresselia…"_

On cue, Shinji turned around to see Hikari. Their eyes met.

"So you're Hikaru Cresselia?" Shinji crossed his arms.

"O-oh, yes. I'm Hikaru Cresselia from Futaba Town and 13-years-old." Hikari walked over to him, extending out a hand. "I'm your new roommate. I'll be in your care." Shinji rolled his eyes. She took her hand back. "Sheesh…"

"Shinji Darkrai. 15-years-old. Tobari Village."

Cresselia and Darkrai came forward, silent.

"_Darkrai."_

"_Cresselia."_

Before Hikari and Shinji knew it, the two legendary Pokémon were having a fight. Unfortunately, their powers can't activate when their companions are in human form. They were only able to tackle or scratch each other.

The two humans watched their hand-sized Pokémon battle.

"Um… Do you know why they're fighting?" Hikari whispered to Shinji.

"Darkrai and Cresselia are said to be huge rivals and tend to get in fights," Shinji replied.

Hikari hated to admit it, but they looked cute when they were trying to scratch each other to death. It was like watching little kids trying to have a little fight.

"_Oh, forget it!"_ Cresselia returned to Hikari's shoulder. _"We'll settle this later, Darkrai!"_

"_Same here, Cresselia."_ Darkrai crossed his arms and sat on Shinji's crossed arms. _"Let's go."_ Shinji walked towards the dorm rooms and Hikari followed him.

Shinji opened the door to the dorm room he'd always get. "Here's the room." He entered it and sat in front of the drawers. He put his bag in the one by the sliding doors. "Yours is the middle, got it?"

"Fine, fine." Hikari opened the middle drawer and transferred all her clothes in it. As for her bag, she put it in the lower drawer. She lied on the floor on her stomach, over exhausted from the flying. "Ugh… I don't think I'm ready to fly just yet…" She looked around to see what was where.

"Of course not, idiot."

"Hey, there's no need to call me an idiot, you plum!"

_Plum?_ he thought to himself. "Blue moss."

Her eye twitched. "Darky."

"Hyperactive."

"Insensitive jerk."

"Troublesome amateur."

The chain of insults continued until Hikari groaned in frustration. "Okay, you know what? I never thought you'd be _this_ annoying!"

"I should be the one saying that to you," Shinji retorted.

Then, they started to have a glaring contest. To any bystander, they would look like they're simply glaring at each other. But to them, it was an intense battle of shooting daggers at each other. It was until Cresselia and Darkrai decided to snap them out of it.

For once, the two Pokémon rivals agreed on something without fighting.

"_Oh that reminds me. Hikaru-Kun, have you gotten your class schedule yet?"_

Hikari looked up and shook her head. "No. This is my first day he-!"

"They give you your schedule using telepathy," Shinji answered. "It'll probably be implanted in your head until the end of school." He rolled his eyes. "I already got mine."

"Duh. You _are_ the little brother of Prince Reiji Arceus," Hikari remarked. Suddenly, a strange feeling overwhelmed her and she received a message in her mind. "Oh, I got my schedule."

"_What did you get?"_

"Let's see…" Hikari went back to the schedule. "Health, PokéFood, Poké Moves, Weapon Skills, Pokémon Battles, Fighting Strategy, and then Interacting with Pokémon."

"As I thought…" Shinji murmured.

"Huh?"

"It's nothing." Shinji lied on the floor on his side, resting his cheek on his hand. He faced the wall, his back facing Hikari. _You did this on purpose… Reiji Arceus._ He sighed, glaring at the wall. He knew about Cresselia's ability. Its feathers had the power to dispel the nightmares Darkrai can create. _But it's for the best._ He looked back at Hikari, who was fiddling with mini Cresselia.

"At least school won't start until next week. I'll have plenty of time to get used to it here."

"_Of course, Hikaru-Kun."_ Cresselia smiled. _"Why don't we take a little tour around Tobari Village tomorrow?"_

"Great idea, Cresselia! Maybe I can go visit Tobari Palace…"

"_No,_" Shinji sharply answered.

"It's just a joke, bastard." Hikari rolled her eyes. Although she seemed confident and like a boy, she was trembling inside. She never thought it would be this difficult around Shinji. She hadn't expected him to make her retort with insults. She was always a polite person, but apparently, he brought out the personality she never thought she had.

Shinji took a glance at Hikari, who was messing with the yellow sash on her waist. Of course, in his case, he knew Hikari as Hikaru. He looked back at the wall again, thinking to himself. _This guy… He's different from all the other students I've ever seen…_

Darkrai looked up at his companion, who was deep in thought. He blinked his aquamarine eyes, wondering what Shinji was thinking about. Of course since they were one, he somehow knew what Shinji was feeling. _"Shinji, are you that disturbed over having a roommate?"_

He looked back and saw that Hikari disappeared. "It's not like I'm disturbed, Darkrai." Shinji quietly sighed. "I just don't know what might happen if I give even Cresselia a nightmare."

"_I won't mind if you say that you regret being my companion."_

The boy smirked. "Now why would I say that?" He sat up, placing Darkrai on his shoulder. "You're my one and only companion after all." Shinji stood up and walked outside, only to bump into a blonde boy. "Watch it…"

"Shinji Darkrai!" the blonde exclaimed. He raised a hand as a greeting. "What's up? I'm Jun Rayquaza from Futaba Town! By the way, I turned 12 lately." Jun had blonde hair that was brushed back at his right and brushed up at the left. He had orange eyes and a yellow ring on his forehead. There were small pairs of green, red-tipped wings near his shoulders, his yellow wristbands, and his feet (more like his shoes). His ninja uniform was a green color with yellow rings running down the back.

Shinji and Darkrai merely blinked, surprised at how hyperactive their roommate was. "Shinji Darkrai. 15 years old. Tobari Village."

"I know you already!" Jun responded. "You're like the flippin' hot topic in Futaba!"

"Hn." Before Shinji was able to reply, he noticed Hikari.

"AH! Jun!"

The blonde wheeled around to see his childhood friend! "Hikaru!" The two pounded fists. "I heard we're gonna be roommates!"

Hikari nodded, enthusiastic. "I hope you'll make it lively…" she paused to glare at Shinji, "… because that idiot over there will definitely depress me."

Jun glanced at Shinji, who was rolling his eyes at her. He burst out in laughter. "Him? No way!"

Shinji simply sighed and walked away.

"Where you going, Shinji?"

"Away from here." With that, he disappeared within the shadows… literally.

Hikari's eye twitched and she ran over to the spot he disappeared from. "Stupid, insensitive, idiotic jerk!" She started stomping on the spot, as if Shinji would get hurt that way. "Even if he is my senpai*, I cannot believe the way he treats his kouhai*!" She sat down, crossing her arms, and puffed her cheeks. "…"

"Hikaru, you're just overreacting…" Jun murmured. "So where does my stuff go?"

"Oh!" Hikari led Jun to their dorm. "Yours go into the last one over there." She pointed to the drawers and bookshelves at the opposite corner of Shinji's corner. "Your futon mattress is in the basket on top of your drawers." She looked around to check if she missed anything. "Um… I think that's it."

Jun stored all his stuff in a drawer and sat by the window. "So how are your mom and Hikari doing? They're running a maid café after all."

Hikari shrugged. "Oh, they're fine. My mom was until she saw that Cresselia and I became one. As for Hikari, she was kinda overjoyed." She lowered her head. "They might have a hard time running it without me, but I'm sure the others will help."

The two chuckled to each other. But their conversation was interrupted by someone calling out Shinji's name.

"Shinji!" A boy skidded to their room. He had black hair that was quite spiky and brown eyes. He had a white overall with a blue sash. There were five, dark blue flaps running down the back along with small white wings on his shoulders. "O-oh! Sorry! Hey, have you seen Shinji by any chance?"

"Um… Who…"

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself!" the boy laughed. "My name's Satoshi Lugia, Shinji's best friend. Same age as him." He grinned. "So you're his new roommates, huh? Nice to meet ya!"

"Yo, Satoshi!" Jun waved. "I'm Jun Rayquaza from Futaba town. 12 years old."

"Hi, Satoshi-Senpai!" Hikari greeted. "I'm Hikaru Cresselia from Futaba. 13 years old."

Satoshi's enthusiastic grin suddenly faded into a surprised line. "You're… Cresselia?"

Hikari's eyes darted back and forth uncertainly. "Um… yes…"

"Yes! A Cresselia!" Satoshi slid in, closing the door. "Hikaru, you have no idea how much I've waited for a Cresselia to come!" He bowed his head low. "It can finally end…"

"W-what do you mean?"

"Shinji's…"

"Don't say unnecessary things, you dense idiot." The plum-haired boy appeared out of nowhere from Satoshi's shadow, his black eyes now glowing an ominous aquamarine. "_Never_ tell them."

Satoshi flinched, nearly jumping into the ceiling. "O-okay, okay, sheesh…" He moved to give some space for Shinji to sit in. "So where'd you go, Shinji?"

Shinji only shrugged. "I just went wherever the shadows took me."

_That sounds so dark and gloomy…_ Hikari thought. She suddenly remembered what Satoshi was trying to say before Shinji appeared. "Um… I know it's not my business to know, but what were you trying to say before, Satoshi-Senpai?"

Now Jun became curious. He also wanted to know what Satoshi was going to say.

Unfortunately, Shinji wouldn't allow that. "Look, it's none of your business! Stay out of it!" he snarled. He thought he saw hurt flash across Hikari's eyes, but instead of concern, it was anger.

"I will not, Shinji-Senpai!" Hikari protested. "It didn't seem like it was none of my business from the way Satoshi-Senpai was talking to me!"

"Would you like to know why…?" Shinji muttered.

"What…?" Hikari replied.

Shinji looked up, his hands clenching into fists. "Would you like to know why you should stay out of this?" His body began to change. His ninja uniform, which was originally knee-length, grew to his ankles and wrists. Black fingerless gloves appeared on his hands as his nails grew longer and sharper. "Then I'll show you…" A loose red scarf appeared on his neck, covering his mouth. "… the ability I have…" A ripped cloak also appeared with long black tatters on the shoulders. "… yet cannot fully control."

Satoshi didn't flinch but merely watched his best friend transform in concern. He prepared himself for Shinji's ultimate move.

The now transformed Shinji put his hands together and a dark ball of energy formed. He pointed it to Hikari. "Dark Void." He shot it, but instead of hitting Hikari, it had hit Satoshi. The boy did not show a sign of fear as a crimson bubble surrounded him. Shinji did not budge.

"Satoshi-Senpai!" Hikari ran over, kneeling on her knees. "What…" Satoshi's brown eyes were open and glazed and his body started to shake once in a while. She wheeled around. "What did you do to him?" Shinji didn't reply, but she saw multiple black balls being shot.

"Gah!" Jun emitted a loud scream as he became surrounded by a crimson bubble. He collapsed to the ground in the same condition as Satoshi. But in a few seconds, he started clawing the air and screaming in fear.

Shinji's hand started to shake violently, another Dark Void forming in his hand. "Damn it! I can't stop!"

"_Shinji, no!"_ Darkrai's shout was heard.

Hikari turned around to see a black ball aimed towards her. She tried to guard herself. As if by impulse, she screamed, "Safeguard!" A soothing sky blue barrier surrounded Satoshi, Jun, and Hikari, protecting them against the Dark Void energies. "Huh…?" The move slowly faded and Shinji fell to the ground, panting.

Jun and Satoshi woke up. The blonde was beyond shocked, while the raven-haired seemed concerned.

Satoshi sat near Shinji. "You okay, dude?"

"Hn."

"Are you okay?" Shinji directed his question to Jun.

"Hell yeah!" he replied. "It was awesome, Shinji! It's such a powerful move!" Satoshi and Shinji were taken aback. They did not expect that reaction.

Satoshi raised a brow. "Um… Didn't you see a nightmare?"

Jun nodded. "Of course!" He crossed his arms, smirking. "It was scary enough to make me excited!" He laughed whole-heartedly. "Wow, I never thought you had that kind of power, Shinji!"

Shinji blinked in a bit of surprise, but he felt somewhat relieved inside. "You're not scared?" When he saw Jun shake his head, he smirked. He looked at Hikari. "Get some rest." Hikari looked at him with confusion. "That was your first time using a move, wasn't it? Adding your trip from Futaba to Tobari and your Safeguard, you're probably on the verge of fainting."

On cue, she collapsed.

"Hikaru!" Jun quickly moved to his childhood friend. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Jun…" Hikari managed to mutter. "I just feel really exhausted…"

Satoshi moved over to Hikari. "I really thank my years of training here…" He became silent and held out both his hands. Then, a blue aura surrounded him. "Natural Gift." He placed his hands over Hikari's forehead and chest. The same color aura enveloped Hikari's body and her exhaustion vanished. "He should get some rest now." He took his hand away, smiling gratefully.

Shinji, meanwhile, was leaning against the wall. He was looking at the hands that couldn't control the Dark Void. _Damn it… I still can't control it!_ He thought as he gritted his teeth. He gave out a frustrated sigh and ran his claw-like hand through his hair. Satoshi laid a hand on his shoulder. "What do you want?"

"You know what I'm going to talk about…"

"…" Shinji's eye twitched. "You're not going to bring that topic up again, are you?" After seeing Satoshi's smirk, he knew it. "Ugh… I already know what you're going to say, but just – for once – spare me that topic. I already have enough to deal with right now."

"Don't you mean that you already have enough to worry about?" Satoshi laughed. Sadly, he received a hard punch to the head. "Ow!" He now laughed nervously. "Okay, okay… No need to get that worked up." His enthusiastic demeanor changed into a concerned one. "Shinji, if you think you're going to go out of control, don't worry."

"There's more to it than you think, Satoshi."

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

The rest of the morning went on watching over Hikari.

~.~.~

Satoshi and Jun went out to get lunch and Shinji was stuck with watching over Hikari. He sighed, figuring that it was time to wake her up. After all, she must've been hungry after using all that energy.

"Oi." Shinji shook her awake. "It's already lunch time."

"Mmph…" Hikari brushed his hand away. "No…" she drawled.

His eyes narrowed. "What, are you a girl or something?"

From that, she burst awake. "I am _not_ a girl, Shinji-Senpai!" Then, another rant session was given to Shinji. "And, of all people and Pokémon, why would you think I'm a girl?"

Shinji was silent and raised a brow. "Because you act like one."

"Fine." She crossed her arms. "I vow to act more like a guy from now on. And if I ever act like a girl, you can…"

"Tch."

Hikari growled. "What did you say?"

Shinji smirked. "I didn't say anything. I'm just saying that you are acting like a girl." Hikari was fuming.

"I am not a girl. I am a male student that transferred to Tobari Shinobi Academy," she insisted as calmly as possible. "If you think I am a girl, then I don't care what the hell you say about me. I'm a guy and that's final!"

"It was just a joke, amateur," Shinji muttered. He quietly chuckled, smirking to himself. "To think you'd be worked up over such a thing…" He rolled his eyes. "Do you have a sister or something?"

Before she could even stop herself, it was already too late. "Yes, I have a twin sister named Hikari." Shinji already must've had that registered in his head. _Damn it… WHY did I say that? Only Jun "knows" I have a twin sister!_

"Hikari?"

"U-uh, yeah! She works in a maid café with my mom." She laughed, while feeling very awkward inside. "Haha… Don't judge me."

Shinji smugly rolled his eyes. "I'm not judging."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I am not."

"Yes, you _are_," she hissed. "Your tone is completely covered with sarcasm!"

"Sure…"

"See? See? There we have it! There we have the sarcasm right now!" She pointed at Shinji with a menacing finger.

"Whatever."

Satoshi and Jun came back, carrying a sack of boxed lunches for their group. When they entered the dorm room, they found Hikari and Shinji at opposite sides of the room… having a glaring contest.

Jun was the first to break it. "Now, now, it's lunch time."

Unfortunately for Hikari, she wasted her energy from using Safeguard before. Her stomach growled very loudly, causing everyone to burst out in laughter. Shinji would be an exception because he only chuckled.

"Sh-shut up!"

~.~.~

It was night and the orientation began. Reiji first discussed about how the school works.

"Tobari Shinobi Academy is a bit different than the regular schools," he began. "You start in the morning – around nine AM – and you take a break from twelve to eight PM, where your night classes will start. Night classes end at midnight." Reiji gave the new students a determined smile. "It's quite strange and a big change to your schedule, I know. But we are going to become shinobi after all, so I would like you to get used to our schedules."

Shinji was sitting far behind the group of new students, watching Reiji talk. He wanted smack himself when his older brother humiliated himself in front of the students. "Ugh…"

"I'll introduce you to our medical unit," Reiji stepped aside and revealed a doctor. "Takeshi-Kun, please take it from here."

Takeshi had brown hair and his eyes were naturally closed. He had a white coat along with a green uniform underneath. On the shirt of the uniform, there was a large pouch with an egg in it. "Hello, everyone!" the doctor greeted. "My name is Takeshi Chansey and I am not only Tobari's doctor, but I am also the chef here!" He bowed.

Behind him, a line of female medics followed.

"My name's Kasumi and this is Togekiss!" Kasumi was an orange-haired girl with a small ponytail tied to the side of her head. Her eyes were green and she was leaning on her said Pokémon.

"What's up? The name's Haruka and this is Blaziken!" The next medic was a brunette with blue eyes. She had side bangs and her hair stuck out of her red bandanna.

"Nozomi is my name. This is Glameow." The next girl had very short red hair along with dark red eyes. A pair of sunglasses adorned her head.

"The name's Leaf! This is my Wartortle!" The last medic also had brunette hair and green eyes.

After the introduction of the other staff, it was on to the teacher of Tobari Village.

Reiji appeared again, dragging a pink-haired girl alongside him. "C'mon, Sumomo, you promised!"

"Fine!" The girl yanked her wrist off of him and stood up. "I'm Sumomo Lucario, Tobari Village's teacher. I am one with Lucario." When she saw the look of shock in the students' faces, she laughed. "Oh man, this year's students are so adorable!" She coughed. "Anyways, half the teachers in Shinou are female, so I'm telling you for future reference." Sumomo punched Reiji's arm. "Reiji-San, if you ever make me come here without my consent, prepare to get your face bashed in."

"Y-yes, ma'am…"

Sumomo took her leave.

Reiji clasped his hands. "We're almost done, so just bear with me a little longer, okay?" He paused to get a good look at the students. "We travel around Shinou. Every month, we move to one of the eight villages where the rest of your teachers are. As for the rest of the year, we visit the towns." He chuckled. "The towns are like a paradise, so it's more like your vacation."

Soon, the orientation was over and everyone returned to their dorms. Shinji, Jun, and Hikari set up their futon.

"It's not like school starts tomorrow," Shinji reminded. "We start next week."

"We know, Shinji-Senpai," Hikari replied. "We were paying attention to the orientation."

"Good." Shinji lied on his futon, leaning his face on his hand. "Are you still going to tour around Tobari Village?"

Hikari nodded. "Of course!" She smiled to herself, looking at the night sky. "What kind of moons do you like?"

Jun sat next to Hikari, gazing at the half moon. "Hmmm… I prefer half moons…" He smirked. "It's like those give me good luck!" He pumped up a fist. "And it totally worked! I not only got a dorm room with Shinji Darkrai, I also got Hikaru as a roommate!" Hikari and Jun pounded fists.

"I like full moons." Hikari gazed at the stars. "They're beautiful. It also seems so romantic." When she realized that Jun and Shinji were staring at her, she stammered. "T-that's from my twin sis."

"You told him about Hikari?"

"It's not that bad, Jun. She won't mind… unless more than ten people know…" Hikari muttered. She turned to Shinji. "What kinds of moons do you like, Shinji-Senpai?"

"New moons," he replied. "It's when I can use my power at full blast." He slightly tilted his head. "Full moons can give you, Hikaru Cresselia, full power too."

"Is that so?" Hikari blinked in surprise. "Wow."

Knowing that Hikari would love to hear about her powers, he added, "… which means you have more chances of kicking my ass…"

He was right. A smug expression appeared on her face as she glanced at Shinji. "Oh really…?" An evil chuckle came out. "I will enjoy kicking your ass, Shinji-Senpai!"

"And in revenge, I will enjoy kicking your ass during the New Moon."

When it was curfew, everyone fell asleep, hoping that it will be a great day tomorrow.

But little did they know that the first phase of their dangerous adventure had already begun…

~.~.~

_A/N: Yes! I'm finished! Sorry if there are too much words or repetition! ^^" Tell me what you think! Oh, and Ribbon of Royalty will be back up again… reconstructed! 8D_


	2. Hikari's Tests

_A/N: Chapter 2! Happy New Year's!_

_Note: Momon Berry/Pecha Berry, Cheego Berry/Rawst Berry_

**Tobari Shinobi: Shinou Scandal****  
CH ****2****:**** Hikari's Test**

"_Wake up, Hikaru-Kun."_ Cresselia shook Hikari awake. _"Darkrai and I brought some berries for breakfast."_

"I don't wanna get up…" she drawled. "Five more minutes…!"

"Get up, Troublesome Amateur." Shinji kicked her in the side. "You wanted to tour around Tobari Village, didn't you?" He crossed his arms, looking down on her. "Besides…" An evil smirk was plastered on his face. "This is the perfect time to train you for school."

Hikari didn't budge. She laid there, dozing off.

Shinji tapped his foot. A black ball of energy formed in his hand. "Dark Void."

"Gah! I'm awake!" With extreme speed, she scrambled away from Shinji to Jun's corner. "I'm up! I'm up!" She still had some trauma from yesterday. "Geez, there's no need to scare me like that, Shinji-Senpai."

"Oh really?" He rolled his eyes. "How else can I get you up then?" he asked sarcastically. "I'm sure I can get you to wake up like that by shaking you awake." The boy shook his head. "Really…"

Darkrai did a facepalm. _"I can't understand how you'll be able to deal with him."_

"_Please shut the hell up, Darkrai."_ Cresselia gave him a frustrated smile. _"I don't think I would want to fight you over this."_

"_Fight me? You can't even land an attack on me."_

A vein popped in Cresselia's forehead as she approached Darkrai. _"Can you please say that again, Darkrai?"_ She fluttered her eyes, smiling innocently. _"When did I ever say that I would land an attack on you?"_ She giggled. _"I mean, I know that I can't land one on you. After all, you're much too strong for me."_

Shinji had a feeling that Darkrai already fell for Cresselia's Attract, because Shinji felt a chill going down his spine.

"_D-damn…"_

Cresselia broke into laughter. _"I cannot believe you fell for that!"_ She sighed, glancing at Hikari. _"It's too bad Hikaru-Kun cannot use it on Shinji-San. You two are male students, after all. Attract only works on the opposite gender…"_ But she knew that Hikari was a girl, so it would work on any boy. However, that would give her off very easily, so it was a move that shouldn't be used.

Hikari laughed along with Cresselia. "That was gold, Cresselia! Do you do that to Darkrai all the time?"

"_Only when I have the opportunity, of course."_

Shinji was trying to get Darkrai out of Cresselia's little spell. "Snap out of it, Darkrai." He slightly shook him. "You're only embarrassing yourself by remaining in this condition."

"_Ugh… Thanks, Shinji."_ Darkrai perched himself on Shinji's shoulder, shaking an angry fist at Cresselia.

"Wash up and meet me at the entrance." Shinji stepped outside their dorm until Hikari called out to him.

"Wait, why do I have to meet you there?"

The plum-haired boy simply glanced at Hikari with a smirk. "I'm going to train you until you collapse."

Hikari's jaw hung open in anger. "I am not going to let you train me! Cresselia and I are planning to tour Tobari Village! I am _never_ going to go with your plans!" Different scenarios began to form in her head. "Y-you might use Dark Void on me until I'm tortured enough; You might train me to the point I faint; You might even abandon me somewhere!"

Shinji blinked. "I'm not that harsh, idiot." He rolled his eyes. "That's not how a prince acts." He took another step and stopped. "… But two of those scenarios sound like what I would do to some people." Shinji chuckled and disappeared within the shadows.

The blunette's eyes were wide with fright. "Oh Arceus…" She shuddered and looked at Jun, who was sleeping by her feet. She smiled and petted his head. "Too bad you're already trained, huh, Jun?" She got up and went to the restroom to wash up.

~.~.~

Shinji was waiting on a large branch of a tree near the entrance. He was gazing at the Tobari Palace in the sunrise. Sighing, he leaned his head against the tree.

"Senpai?" Hikari called out. She tugged on Shinji's foot. "Is there something wrong?"

"How long have you been there?"

Hikari blinked. "I just came here." She pointed at her face. "I mean, you had a tense expression, so I thought there was something wrong." She scratched the back of her head. "Uh… Never mind, pretend I never said anything…"

Darkrai looked at the blunette in curiosity and descended from the tree. _"… You just saw his expression and depicted that?"_

"U-um… Y-yes…" She was slightly surprised. Darkrai has never spoken to her like this. Actually, when did he ever talk to her? "But aren't those kinds of expressions obvious to depict?" She tapped her lower lip, and then looked at the mini Darkrai. "Why do you ask, Darkrai?"

"_It's nothing."_ Darkrai glided back to Shinji, staring at the unknowing Hikari intensely. He whispered, _"That's impossible… No one – especially people like him – should be able to read you like that."_

Shinji glanced at Hikari, wondering how she read him. He had a reputation of being a shinobi whom no one could read his face expressions. No one, except Reiji and Satoshi, was able to read him. He would always have either a blank expression, a scowl, or a calm expression. No shinobi or villager could tell what he's feeling because he's always like that.

But she was able to read him somehow. The prince was impressed and shocked. In Tobari Academy, he was called 'The Unknown Prince' because of his lack of showing expression. He usually does that on purpose, but how was a new student able to read him like that?

"You said you worked in a maid café in Futaba Town, didn't you?"

Hikari nodded. "Yes, of course!" She bit her lower lip, slightly looking away. "It's actually a bit embarrassing for a guy like me to tell you that I worked in one…"

"Well, we'll probably be going there in about… three months."

She laughed nervously. "I-is that so…?" Cresselia blinked and sweatdropped. "W-well, if you would like to come to our maid café sometime, you are welcome to."

Shinji sighed as he quietly jumped to the ground. "I'll train you while showing you around. There are a lot of things you can learn while wandering around here." He wanted to smirk when he saw the look on Hikari's face. "Tobari Village is not dangerous, Troublesome Idiot."

"Oh…!" Hikari exclaimed. "I just graduated from 'Troublesome Amateur' to 'Troublesome Idiot'!" She joked, giggling.

"You _really_ are girly…" he murmured before heading off.

~.~.~

"Ne, ne!" Leaf called to her friends. "Did you see all the new students?" She squealed in delight. "They're all so cute!"

Kasumi sighed, petting her head. "Leaf, don't go all excited with them now. You already have someone you like, don't you?"

"Tsk, tsk, Kasumi!" Haruka chimed. "I should be the one saying that to you too! You like Satoshi-Senpai after all!" She leaned on Nozomi, who was organizing the herbs. "Hey, did you see anyone cute among the new students, Nozomi?"

The redhead shook her head. "Haruka, you know I'm not into those things." She looked at the shelves of herbs. "… but one of them kinda catches my attention." She turned around with a slightly serious expression on her face. "I don't mean he catches my attention in the way Leaf-Senpai and Kasumi-Senpai puts it, but this student is sorta weird."

The three medics tilted their head in curiosity. "Weird? What do you mean?"

Nozomi crossed her arms, trying to remember last night. "It's that dark blue-haired student, Hikaru Cresselia." She looked up at the ceiling. "I don't know why, but he doesn't seem like your typical male student in Tobari Academy."

"No way!" Leaf exclaimed excitedly. "You might have a crush on Hikaru-Kun!"

The room went silent as they stared at their bubbly friend.

"Leaf," Haruka slowly started, "You know that Nozomi isn't that kind of person…" She turned back to the redhead. "What do you mean by that, Nozomi?"

"The typical Tobari Academy students look more… stiff and a bit neutral to the things around them. Hikaru-San seemed more loose and carefree. Most of the other new students seemed… a little more restrained and nervous." Nozomi put her finger to her lip. "Maybe I'm thinking things too much…"

Kasumi giggled. "If you think Nozomi finally lost her mind, raise your hand." The three raised their hands, laughing. Nozomi also raised her hand, joining along. "I'm sure it's just your imagination, Nozomi."

"Well, I do have a few questions that I want to ask him. Just to confirm a certain identity." Then, as if this never happened, she went back to organizing the herbs, leaving the three medics clueless.

~.~.~

Satoshi came to Shinji's dorm and knocked. "Shinji, you there?" The door slid open, but Jun appeared instead. "Ah, Jun, is Shinji there?"

The blonde shook his head. "Nope, he went out to give Hikaru a tour around Tobari Village…"

"What? That doesn't sound like Shinji…"

"I'm not finished yet!" Jun interrupted. "Anyways, Senpai went to give Hikaru a tour… and train him."

Silence ensued. "… Yeah, that sounds like him…" Satoshi laughed. "You don't need to worry about the training part. His training sessions aren't harsh or anything. I also guarantee that he won't use Dark Void on him."

"Who said anything about me being worried?" Jun joked. "Just kidding. Well, as long as Hikaru's safe, it's fine with me." He suddenly thought of something. "You don't suppose Hikaru-Kun will sneak off to visit Tobari Palace, do you?"

Satoshi waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, if he did that, Shinji would be fast at catching him. Hikaru might even receive a little more extra time of training as punishment."

Jun cocked a brow. "What does Shinji-Senpai even do in his training sessions?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't know," Satoshi admitted. "I've seen his other dorm mates go with him for training, but they end up moving out of the dorm on the first day!" He looked at Jun, who had a horrified look on his face. "But knowing him, it's a test. You probably don't need to do it, Jun."

"Is that so? How?"

"Remember yesterday when you got hit by his Dark Void? You were the first to say that it was awesome, so he probably felt that it's good to have you around."

Jun's mouth was hanging open. "Isn't that a bit… selfish as a prince?"

Satoshi shrugged. "It is, but I can understand why he would do that." He sighed, looking around. "Personally, I want Hikaru to stay here. He can be such a great help for him."

"Well, you don't need to worry about that. If his training sessions are going to be like that, Hikaru's probably stronger than those other worthless students," he reassured. "Trust me on this one. I doubt he'll back out!"

~.~.~

Shinji and Hikari arrived to the outskirts of the village. There was a large field of grass and many trees behind it. Shinji stopped to train Hikari here. "Alright, I'm going to need Cresselia for some information."

On cue, Cresselia came out. _"You called?"_

He nodded. "What moves do you know right now?"

"_For me, I know Confusion, Mist, Attract, Moonlight, and Psychic."_ Cresselia glanced at Hikari. _"However, since Hikaru-Kun just started, he only knows about two moves."_

Hikari scratched the back of her head. "To tell you the truth, _I_ don't know my set of moves yet…" She groaned. "I only remember using Safeguard." She recalled back to the time when she used the move. "I couldn't tell how it happened. I just felt a really strong power overwhelm me and my mind just seemed to act on its own."

Shinji rested his chin on his hand. "No choice then." He took a few steps back, reverting to his Darkrai form.

"What do you plan to do…?" Hikari cautiously asked. Instead of getting a verbal reply, she received a deadly look from Shinji. She took that as the start of her first training session. "Oh Arceus!" She tried to run, but her feet were frozen to the ground! _No! Move, Hikari! Move!_ Her body didn't move even a centimeter. "W-wait, Shinji-Senpai! Don't I need to get into my Cresselia form?"

"There's no need! That comes later!" He started gliding across the shadows of the trees faster and faster. "Better think fast, or, putting it accurately, feel it fast!"

Hikari was in panic mode. She didn't know what to do. _What can I do? I don't even know my own moves except Safeguard!_ She felt the same overwhelming power inside and she put her hands out. "S-Safeguard!" The same sky blue barrier surrounded her.

"That won't work." Shinji suddenly stopped in front of her, making her expect a horrifying move. He pointed behind her and she looked. He smirked and murmured, "Faint Attack." He grabbed her leg and threw her across the field of grass. He chuckled smugly at Hikari's dumbfounded expression. "You didn't expect that, did you?"

"Expect it?" The blunette stomped over. "That was the most unexpected and out-of-character move I've ever seen from you, Senpai!" She did a facepalm. "Do you always use Faint Attack like that?"

Shinji shrugged. "Just on the amateur students. That's the basic variation of Faint Attack. You distract them and then you attack." He went back to the situation and shifted his attention to Hikari. "Did you somehow feel any other energy?"

She shook her head. "No… I only felt Safeguard's energy."

"Well, that's because your mind and body memorized it. You need to learn how to feel a different energy when you have the chance." Shinji paced back and forth. "It's hard to sense that other energy because it comes as a spark. It doesn't always come to you like how Safeguard did when I went out of control."

"Oh yeah, I want to know how that happened."

"That happened because you were in an emergency to _protect_. You have to try feeling the energy to attack too." He pointed at his head. "Don't think about it." Then, he pointed to his chest. "Feel it."

Hikari sighed. "So today's training session about battling me until I feel a different _spark_?"

Shinji rolled his eyes. "No." He approached Hikari. "This is a meditating training session."

"Meditating?"

"Yes. Meditating helps your powers. When you meditate, you are supposed to be in touch with Cresselia and your mind and only Cresselia and your mind. When you reach that world, a faint colored aura should surround you. However, this surrounding and anything else," he extended his hands out to give her the view, "cannot be in your world."

The blunette nodded in half-comprehension. "Okay… So how can I… uh… meditate?" She felt stupid for asking.

Shinji shrugged. "Any way you want. Everyone has their own way of meditating." He took a glance around him. "Your form of meditation also depends on the surroundings. It helps you focus."

"Well, I meditate in Lotus position in grassy areas like this. That's okay, right?"

"That is the basic form, after all."

Hikari nodded and got herself into Lotus position. "Okay, now what?"

Shinji sat down next to her, also getting into Lotus position. Darkrai sat on his leg. "Cresselia, you have to be perched on Hikaru's head."

"_Um, I wish I could, but…"_

A growl from Hikari's stomach was heard between them. That already gave everyone the clue.

"… _Hikaru-Kun didn't have breakfast yet."_ She giggled nervously when Hikari shot her an embarrassed and frustrated look. _"Darkrai and I brought the berries over so you can eat them whenever you're hungry or so."_

"You two fought again, didn't you?"

"_Why wouldn't we be?"_ Darkrai sneered.

"_We probably wouldn't last one day without fighting,"_ Cresselia huffed. _"He just gets on my nerve so much! The fact that he has a type advantage over me irritates me even further."_

Darkrai smirked. _"What can I say? It just shows how weak you are to be matched to go against me."_

Once again, the two Pokémon got into another fight that left Hikari and Shinji watching them. Hikari grabbed a Momon Berry and took a bite out of the sweet berry. Shinji simply watched them take their anger and frustration out on each other.

Hikari held up a Momon Berry to Shinji. "Want one, Senpai?"

Shinji shook his head. "I don't like sweet things." He scanned the contents of the basket and grabbed a Cheego Berry. He took a bite, not minding the somewhat-bitter taste.

"Oh, is that so?" Hikari ate the Pecha Berry in her other hand after she was done with her first one. After her stomach was full, she got to work on splitting the two up. "Sheesh, I don't get how you two can fight like this…"

"Wait until you see them during the full moon or new moon," Shinji murmured. He grabbed Darkrai in his hands until he settled down. "Darkrai, we need to show them how meditating works."

The dark-Pokémon growled before settling down onto Shinji's lap. The two synched their breathing and their powers. After a few minutes of waiting, a faint black aura had surrounded them. Hikari was amazed by how focused they were. Then, the aura disappeared and Shinji glanced at Hikari.

"That's how you're supposed to do it. You _cannot_ be distracted by any means." He then sat in front of her. "Now you try."

Hikari nodded as Cresselia perched herself on her head. She placed her hands on her knees and relaxed. She closed her eyes and tried her best to focus. They managed to sync their breathing already.

Shinji was impressed that she was able to do it quickly. He leaned forward to make sure she was focusing. After all, no one can focus for a long time unless they were trained. "Hey, Troublesome Idiot." Her brow twitched. "There we have it. You just got distracted."

"Well, how can I focus when you start calling me names?"

"That's all part of this training," Shinji replied. "Meditating is also supposed to prevent you from getting distracted. In Tobari Academy, there are going to be distractions beyond that basic variation of Faint Attack. You need to learn how not to be distracted."

She nodded, taking all of the information in. "Okay. I'll try again, Senpai." She once again focused and entered the world inside her mind. It was a world of colors and she found herself sitting in front of Cresselia. "Hey… I did it!"

Cresselia nodded. _"But this is just the start, Hikari. I'm expecting Shinji-San to distract you again."_ They suddenly heard echoes around them.

_Troublesome Idiot… Hey… Hmmm… Well, this is good progress so far… But she's going to miss the tour she wanted badly…_

"I don't think I should listen to him." Hikari shrugged. "I guess I'll keep meditating and find some kind of attack move."

"_Actually, now that you're here, you can find it without meditating."_

Hikari blinked in confusion. "But won't I get distracted again?"

Cresselia shook her head. _"All you need to focus on is finding the spark to attack. Just make sure not to give in to the echoes…"_ She murmured a few incoherent words. _"Hikari, use Safeguard."_

"Safeguard?" she questioned. She concentrated to gather the energy for Safeguard. Nothing happened. "I can't activate Safeguard, Cresselia!"

"_Remember the feeling that you had when you used Safeguard. What did you want to do most?"_

"I didn't want to get hit by the Dark Void, so I…" her eyes widened in realization, "I wanted to protect myself!" As Cresselia nodded, Hikari prepared herself to go through that feeling again. She remembered the fear that she had when she saw Jun clawing the air, screaming. She wanted to protect. Protect… protect…

The same overwhelming energy began to form and she extended her hands out. "Safeguard!" A sky blue barrier surrounded her. "I did it!"

Cresselia nodded in approval. _"Perfect. Now all you need to learn is to feel the energy to attack."_ She glided backwards. _"Hikari, I am going to attack you so try to feel a spark or anything!"_

Hikari's mind had switched to panic mode again. "Wait, wait, what? I-I'm not ready!" But it was too late. Cresselia was charging towards her, preparing to simply tackle her. She was approaching faster and faster, causing Hikari to run. "Wait! Wait! Wait!" But her partner wouldn't stop. _I need to attack! If I don't learn to attack soon, I'll be killed!_ She imagined Shinji using Dark Void again and she gasped.

Suddenly, it was like time had stopped for a moment. She felt energy forming in her mind and her eyes began to glow a bright pink. Finally, the words escaped her mouth.

"Confusion!" She wheeled around and caught Cresselia. Her partner was stopped in mid-attack and was lifted into the air as Hikari looked up. "Whoa… Is this…?"

"_It's an attack, Hikari,"_ Cresselia answered. _"This is Confusion. You have the power to control your opponent's movements with your mind."_ She looked around her. _"Um… Do you mind putting me down? You're lifting me awfully high…"_

Hikari flushed, realizing how high Cresselia was. "Sorry…" She carefully placed Cresselia back to the ground. "Well, shall we go back to the human world?"

"_It would be my pleasure."_ A light enveloped them and they returned to reality.

However, it was evening! Shinji was still waiting in front of Hikari. She opened her eyes, shocked at Shinji's patience and how much time had passed. "Senpai, how long were you waiting in front of me?"

Shinji shrugged. "I was here this whole time. You made good progress today." He slightly tilted his head, staring at Hikari intensely. "You're the first…"

"First…?"

His brows slightly furrowed for a moment, but he regained his composure. "You're the first to ever pass this without backing out." He stood up, dusting his pants. "Plus, you succeeded this training session."

Hikari's eyes gleamed with confidence. "Well, what can I say?" She pumped up a fist, smirking. "I'm a strong guy!"

"You're strange…" Without any more words, he brushed past her. That signaled Hikari that she should follow him or else…

~.~.~

Jun leaned in towards his childhood friend, who was setting up her futon. "So how was the training?"

The blunette smiled, nodding firmly. "It was a great training session, actually. I finally learned an attack move, Jun!" She crossed her arms, smirking. "If Shinji-Senpai has anything worse in store for me," she paused to hold up a fist, "I won't back out."

"Now that's the Hikaru I know!" They high-fived, laughing.

Shinji was watching his two new roommates chat. He rolled his eyes when Hikari kept bragging about her new attack move. "I want you to do at least four hours worth of meditation and train until you learn all five moves. Make sure to get it done by Wednesday. If you haven't learned the rest of your set of moves, you will be in trouble."

"I know, Senpai," Hikari huffed. She held up three fingers. "I only got three more moves left to go. I'm sure I'll be able to complete my set before Wednesday." She smirked. "Prepare to be impressed with my awesome set of moves!"

Jun laughed. "Hey, you got that from me, didn't you?"

Hikari stuck her tongue out playfully. "You rub off on me a lot, Jun." Then, realization dawned on her as if a ton of bricks had fallen on her head. "Aw, damn it!" She scratched her head, unaware of Shinji and Jun staring at her because she cursed. "I didn't have time to tour Tobari Village today!"

Shinji sighed. "I tried to snap you out of it so we can go ahead and tour, but you just wouldn't listen to me." He shifted his gaze to Hikari. "Besides, this was your first time visiting the world where only you and Cresselia can dwell. Reality is faster than your world on the first day."

"Listen to you? I thought you were trying to distract me again!" She groaned, falling on her futon. "Shinji-Senpai, you are so unpredictable…"

The plum-haired boy chuckled. "Actually, you're the one who's unpredictable…"

Jun poked his forehead. "Yeah, Satoshi told me that the students you trained before backed out on the first day." He nudged Hikari on the ribs. "Apparently, Hikaru just beat those other worthless students!" He looked at Shinji with determined eyes. "Whatever you throw at Hikaru, you won't be able to make him back out!"

"Actually, the rest of the training sessions are easy. The meditating training session was a test to see how well he could do." Shinji gave the two students a nod. "And… he passed. This was supposed to be the hardest session, considering how long it takes to focus." He smirked. "Although there are plenty of students that slack off here, if you are going to be part of this dorm, you will have to be on your feet."

Hikari rolled her eyes. "If that's so, then that's totally perfect for Jun." She pointed to him with an it's-so-obvious expression. "I've been his friend since childhood and he just loves to move around." She shrugged. "Fortunately, I also like to move around…"

"… except when you should wake up."

"Shut up, Senpai…" Hikari pouted, crossing her arms. "By the way, is it okay for a prince like you to be this selfish?"

Shinji blinked at her blankly. "For a while, yes."

"… You are not your typical prince, are you?"

"Hn."

~.~.~

_**Thursday…**_

Jun was running around to find Satoshi. "Ah! There he is! Satoshi!"

"Uh… What's wrong?"

"Shinji's gonna fight Hikaru!" Jun exclaimed, excitedly. "Hikaru finally learned his set of moves!"

Satoshi's eyes lit up in interest. "Is that so? I wanna see!" They quickly rushed over to the grassy plains, where Shinji and Hikari were having a showdown. "Oh man, this is gonna be good!"

Shinji was attacking Hikari with Dark Pulse and she managed to dodge everything. Her Safeguard was surrounding her, but she knew she couldn't hold him off like this.

When a Dark Pulse was coming face-to-face with her, she slid down low and hid inside the tall grass. She then whispered, "Double Team." Clones of her appeared and they all scattered throughout the grass, trying not to get noticed. One clone checked to see where he is. He was at the center of all of them. She nodded, signaling the real Hikari. "Now!"

"What?" he hissed.

All clones faced Shinji and a multicolored orb began to form before Hikari's lips. "Aurora Beam!" All clones shot a multicolored beam at Shinji. Unfortunately, he sank within the shadows, dodging the blows. "Damn it! That's not fair!" It was too bad that she couldn't activate her Cresselia form yet. The clones searched around, looking for any suspicious shadows. What they didn't expect was Shinji to dwell in their own shadow!

Shinji appeared behind a clone and threw her across the plains, hitting another clone. They vanished without a trace. There were now two clones and one real Hikari left. "I wonder where the real one is…"

"Confusion!" Their eyes glowed pink and he was lifted into the air. "Ha! What are you going to do now, Senpai?"

"… Weak." Shinji put his palms together. "Dark Pulse!" A beam of dark circles was shot at the Hikari in the middle. He knew that she was the real one.

Hikari didn't expect it. When she was hit, she was flung to the ground and her clones disappeared. However, since her Confusion attack was interrupted, Shinji fell to the ground. Unfortunately for him, he fell from a very high location.

"Ugh… Didn't see that coming…" he murmured, shaking his head to gain focus.

"Hikaru!" Jun ran over to Hikari. "You alright?" He realized that she was unconscious. "Oh geez… Shinji, Satoshi, he fainted…"

Satoshi came over, chuckling. "Well, he did use the majority of his moves and he did get hit by Shinji's powerful attack move." He helped Hikari onto Jun's back. "I would be more than shocked if he actually survived it." As they walked back to their dorm, he nudged Shinji. "So does Hikaru pass or no?"

Shinji took a look at the fainted Hikari and smirked. "He passed."

"Hell yeah!" Jun and Satoshi cheered, excited. They suddenly heard a growl from Hikari. "…"

"Can I please have something to eat?" Hikari weakly asked.

They laughed all the way back to the village. Satoshi gave her a berry to eat for now. They were going to eat in small restaurant that Satoshi knew very well.

~.~.~

The four ate onigiri* for lunch and bought a few berries to eat. They were on their way to the Academy from the shop.

"Did you see how you battled, Hikaru?" Jun exclaimed. "You did great! Of course, you'll never be able to defeat me though. It's much too impossible for you to do so."

Hikari's brow twitched. "Oh… Just wait until the full moon comes out." The corner of her smile twitched as she raised an angry fist. "That's when I'm going to kick your ass, Jun."

Satoshi grinned, giving Hikari a thumbs-up. "But isn't it great? You at least hurt Shinji once."

"I'd rather see that as an accident," Hikari muttered. "It's not like I did that on purpose anyways…" She pouted. "I couldn't even land one attack on him!" She fell on her side, sighing from the disappointment. She ate the rest of her Momon Berry.

Shinji rolled his eyes. "It's natural for you to be this weak."

"And there he goes again with his 'weak' comments…" Satoshi murmured.

Hikari stopped in her tracks and turned to Shinji with a glare. "Weak? Hey, I'm just a beginner!" she protested. "You, obviously, had experience, so you're stronger than me!"

"And there we go again with the argument…" Jun sighed.

That afternoon, Jun and Satoshi watched Shinji and Hikari argue without taking a break. They were impressed at how long they could go at it. Never has Satoshi seen Shinji argue this long before. As for Jun, he never heard Hikari curse at the _prince_ so much before. They had to split Shinji and Hikari before they decided to go even further and start clawing each other's throats out.

"You two _really_ resemble Darkrai and Cresselia!"

Hikari crossed her arms. "Hmph!" She stuck her tongue out at Shinji. "Whatever!" She stomped ahead. "I'll be going ahead. I just can't stand this right now!"

Shinji scowled. "I have some business to take care of with Aniki." He disappeared in the shadows and went to Tobari Palace.

"… They are complete opposites, aren't they?" Jun sweatdropped.

Satoshi nodded. "Yep…" A moment of silence had passed. "Wanna go somewhere?"

~.~.~

The redhead scanned the dorm rooms, trying to find Shinji, Jun, and Hikari's. She finally found it and knocked.

The door slid open and the blunette appeared. Her eyes widened to find… "Nozomi!"

"Hika…" Nozomi hesitated. "… ru…"

"So I was right! You really were a medic here!" Hikari exclaimed. "How were you, Nozomi?"

"We can't talk here," Nozomi grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the room. "Let's talk somewhere else." They hurried throughout the campus to the medical center. Then, they entered her dorm room.

Kasumi, Haruka, and Leaf were talking inside. When they saw Hikari, they gasped. Their Pokémon were also very shocked.

"Nozomi, what are you doing? You can't let a boy in the medic dorms!" Leaf whispered.

Haruka and Kasumi were speechless, their jaws hanging open. "What have you done, Nozomi?"

However, Nozomi denied it, shaking her head. "Shh! Keep this a secret …" She bit her lip and glanced at Hikari. "This is my best friend. She goes by Hikaru and has been Hikaru since childhood. But her real name is Hikari." Hikari stared at her friend with wide eyes.

Kasumi stood up, observing the blunette before her. "So… what you're saying is that Hikaru is actually a girl?"

"Yes." Nozomi turned to her best friend. "Don't worry. They won't give out a single secret. Trust me, Hikari."

Hikari sighed, pulling the hair tie that tied her long hair into a small pony tail. Her head was cut into slightly messy layers, so she didn't look the same as Nozomi remembered. She bowed. "My name is Hikari and I have bonded with Cresselia," she quietly introduced. "I apologize that I have broken the rules like this…" Then, Cresselia appeared. "This is Cresselia, my partner."

Haruka approached Hikari. "No flippin' way… I thought only males were able to become one with a Pokémon!" She looked at Cresselia.

"But… Cresselia's a legendary Pokémon…" Hikari murmured, "so it's probably possible that way…" She shrugged.

"What are you doing here, Hikari?" Nozomi asked. "You know that a female is forbidden in Tobari Academy, unless you're a medic." She sighed, concerned. "What do you plan to do when you've been discovered?" Cresselia floated towards Togekiss, Blaziken, Glameow, and Wartortle to talk.

Leaf came by. "No one probably knows. Arceus has never set any punishments if a girl enrolled. He just said that they're forbidden unless they're medics." She looked at Hikari with a worried look on her face. "But I really don't know what punishments are…"

Hikari shrugged again. "Cresselia and I are prepared for the consequences. If we are caught and receive a death sentence, we are ready for it." A determined spark gleamed in her eyes. "But we're not going to go down without a fight. Cresselia and I are going to convince Arceus that even a girl can survive."

"How are you going to do that, Hikari?" Nozomi hissed. "That is completely impossible!"

She smiled, not a single fear in her eyes. "No, I think it's possible. We're thinking of a plan as we go along." She tied her hair again, ignoring the shocked expressions of the medics before her. "My top priority is to act as a boy and not get caught until the end. Cresselia's top priority is to not get caught by Darkrai or Shinji-Senpai. _Our_ top priority is to show that even a girl like me can survive no matter what."

Kasumi exhaled. "Are you serious? Do you know what they do to the students here?" She gritted her teeth. "They make them battle each other until the other faints or surrenders!"

"And knowing boys, they're never gonna surrender…" Haruka added.

"That's why we always get students that have horrible wounds and, once in a while, are on the verge of death!" Kasumi seemed angry, but her tone was actually covered with extreme concern. "We can't have you getting hurt so badly like that!"

Hikari blinked. "Um… Kasumi-Senpai, you don't need to worry about that really. Shinji-Senpai is training me, so I'll be okay." She gave everyone a double thumbs-up, grinning. "No need to worry!"

Nozomi did a facepalm. "… That's when I get worried the most…" She crouched down, petting Glameow. "Well, I hope your mission will go well."

"Thanks, Nozomi. I know it will go well." She smirked, fist pounding with Nozomi. "Gotta go. Bye and it was nice talking to everyone!" She went out the window and flew off.

Haruka looked out the window, impressed. "Wow…" She closed the window and turned to her fellow medics. "She's probably the first girl to ever do something like this." She then looked at the redhead, who was thinking deeply. "You're gonna protect her from being found out, huh?"

"Of course!" She stood up, crossing her arms.

"We became medics with the same goal as Hikari, after all."

~.~.~

_The First Phase Has Just Begun…_

~.~.~

_A/N: A bit longer than the first chapter. :3 Anyways, Happy New Year, everybody! ^^ If you were born twelve years ago or so, Ichi and I hope you have a lucky year of 2011! It's the Year of the Rabbit! Now for the questions you can answer!_

_What did you think about the battle between Shinji and Hikari?  
How do you think Nozomi and Hikari met?  
What do you think the four medics will do to prevent Hikari from getting caught?  
Where do you think Satoshi and Jun could be?  
What business do you think Shinji has with Reiji?_

_This is an unedited version. If you have found any mistakes, please tell me~ :3_


	3. Welcoming Student Ceremony

_A/N: Well… This chapter is going to be in Hikari's point of view. Oh and instead of using English names for Pokémon, I'm gonna resort back to Japanese names… ^^" I'm just not used to writing them as their English names anymore… *shot*_

_Note: Shuu/Drew, Mukkuru/Starly, Kengo/Kenny, Pikari/Dee Dee, Risshi Lake/Lake Valor, Crecelia/Cresselia, Shigeru/Gary, Elekible/Electivire, Harley/Harley, Noctus/Cacturne, Nyarmar/Glameow, Kameil/Wartortle, Samehader/Sharpedo_

**Tobari Shinobi: Shinou Scandal****  
CH ****3****:**** Welcoming Student Ceremony **

Five days of classes and training – including the start of school – had passed since the start of Tobari Academy. And I've got to tell you, it was insane!

First, Shinji and I battled again. Luckily, I managed to pull most of my moves off without fainting. But I did feel very exhausted afterwards. By the way, the battle was even crazier than the first one last week! I mean, it lasted from early in the morning until late in the afternoon!

Second, Jun had to get a new Pokémon partner named Dialga. Rayquaza was to be partners with another student named Shuu. He had green hair and eyes and he was one of the popular guys among Tobari Village. The other being Shinji. Shuu was actually a year older than Shinji. It was… weird. They had to go through some kind of ritual thing that took about half a day! I can never understand these things…

Third, some classes were combined together. It caused a lot of confusion for a lot of students, considering that the classes were sometimes in different times and places. It wasn't too crazy, luckily.

Fourth, I almost got caught in the medic's dorm by Doctor Takeshi. I panicked and jumped out the window. I forgot that the dorms were on the second floor, above the Medical Center… I found a tree near the window and hung on to it upside down. It nearly made my heart lurch forward from panicking.

Fifth, I realized that Shinji was in _every_ class in my schedule! Also, I'm his partner for every class, except Pokémon Battles and Health class. Seriously, what is with everyone? Why won't they just be partners with him? Arceus, it's always me who has to be his partner in the end.

It was quite crazy. However… I _definitely_ did not expect Saturday's events – which I deemed as the most insane _night_ of my life…

~.~.~

This Saturday morning, I somehow got up earlier than Shinji. I was flustered… How can I wake up earlier than Shinji-Senpai? I shrugged my curiosity off.

I quietly slipped out of the room and sat on the platform. The sun was still down, but I was able to see some colors along the horizon. The Mukkuru (Starly) weren't chirping, considering that even a ray of sunshine hasn't appeared yet. I closed my eyes and breathed in the morning air. It smelled sweet and refreshing.

Suddenly, a pebble was thrown at me. Since Shinji trained me to sharpen my senses, I was able to catch the pebble with ease. I kept silent and looked around. I spotted brown hair and expected either Leaf-Senpai or Haruka. However, when I saw blue, I knew it was Haruka.

I visited the medic dorms once every day, but I already grew close with them. It's probably because we're girls, huh?

Haruka gestured to follow her and I did. She went in through the entrance, while I hopped up a tree and jumped in their room. I made sure not to make any sound. I gently landed on the floor and sat down by the window. "So what's up?"

"We're wondering how you're going to go through the Welcoming Students Ceremony."

Question marks were hanging over my head. "Didn't we go through that last week?" The room went silent, and then they burst into loud groans and 'no's. "W-what?"

"You don't know?" Haruka exclaimed.

Leaf's jaw was hanging open. "Oh my Arceus, you cannot be joking! No one told you about the Welcoming Students Ceremony?"

I shook my head in surprise. "Why? You sound like it's a bad thing!"

They looked at each other.

"It's not, but…" Kasumi trailed off.

"… it's risky for _you_…" Nozomi finished. The redhead scratched the back of her head. "The new students have to do certain activities that may reveal your identity."

I blinked, placing my hands on my hips. "Really? Like what?"

Leaf hung upside down from her bed, thinking. "There's this activity where you have to jump into a lake… in your underwear!" She glanced at my breasts. "And since you're a girl, someone's _bound_ to notice something strange with your chest." She shrugged. "I'm not saying that it's obvious, but it's just that… Shinji's smart. He probably knows his anatomies."

I don't know why, but I probably blushed in embarrassment. "Err… I-is that so…?" I sighed, scratching the back of my head. "What else is there?"

"Oh, there's this test that is totally cliché," Haruka replied. "It's the Test of Courage, for example. But trust me, this one is much scarier than the ones kids, without Pokémon, make."

Kasumi groaned. "Geez… A few students got hurt by accident and they ended up here for treatment." She sighed, rubbing her head. "There was this one kid who was covered in sticky ooze…" She shook her head. "We had to cut his hair until it was gone. Unfortunately, it was a messy buzz cut."

Nozomi shrugged. "I came here during the last semester of last year, so I don't know much." She tapped her chin. "Although the teachers already know about the ceremony, they won't mind as long as no one is on the verge of death."

Haruka placed a hand on her hip. "Well, the students are friendly, so I'm pretty sure it'll be fine."

I sweatdropped, wondering if their friendliness only goes for the girls. Well, the student did seem friendly… maybe they just get really serious during battles. "Yes, but when and how long does this last?"

Leaf poked her forehead. "Um… Last time I remember, it lasted from nine to one." She then nodded in confirmation. "Yup. The Test of Courage starts at midnight to one. That's how long it is…"

"Geez…" I scratched the back of my head. "Well, I'm sure nothing wrong will happen. As long as I'm careful not to reveal my identity, there's no need to worry!"

The redhead groaned. "That's when I get worried the most…"

"Nozomi!" Hikari whined. "It'll be fine, I promise!"

"Fine, but we're going to be watching you from afar, okay?"

I blinked, puzzled. "Huh?"

"What she means," Haruka began, "is that we'll be watching you from a distance and help you when you're in a pinch." Her blue eyes suddenly grew big with joy. "Oh my gosh!" She started to squeal.

The girls all leaned to know what Haruka was suddenly jumping up and down about.

"We should, like, totally prank the students and the student council who are doing the ceremony!" She took a book out of her pillowcase. The book was red with green designs on it. "I haven't told you girls about it, but I've been devising pranks in this book!"

Kasumi raised a brow. "That was a _prank_ book?" Her jaw hung open. "I thought it was your diary!"

"Pfft…" Haruka scoffed. "I have a diary, of course! But it's even more complicatedly locked than this prank book." She held the prank book up and it had two locks. She smirked, chuckling. "And I've got to say, you all tried to unlock it, but my lock is totally complicated!" Ignoring her friends' shocked faces, she quickly unlocked her prank book and flipped through the pages. "Aha! Here we go!"

We, even me, looked in an entry where it said: _**Welcoming Student Ceremony Pranks**_.

There were so many plans written! I was amazed at how ingenious these pranks were. "So are you really planning to prank the new students?"

Haruka nodded. "But I'm going to ask Doctor Takeshi for permission. He's a kind guy, so he'd say yes." She looked at the other three girls reading the plans. "But I will need some help. Can you help me?"

A smirk slowly formed on Kasumi's face. "Oh, I'll help you… There's a prank here that I am dying to use on Satoshi…" She chuckled, her mallet in her hands.

Leaf's eyes gleamed. "Are you kidding? I'd love to help! Besides, it's no fun being stuck in here waiting for injured students…"

Nozomi shrugged. "Sure, I'm in. It seems fun."

I raised a brow curiously. "Wait, but if you're all going to prank them, who's going to take care of the injured students?"

The four girls looked at each other and then to me. "Don't worry. Usually, there's only about five students that get hurt somehow, so Doctor Takeshi will be able to handle them."

"Is that so…?" I sweatdropped, slightly cowering at the mischievous aura they were emitting. "Well, is there anything I can do?"

"Not really. Just take the tests. Like we said, we'll help you out when you're in pinch." Haruka took out a pencil. "Hmmm… I never expected a girl to enter Tobari Academy, as a boy, so I'll have to make a few adjustments to my plans. Nozomi, you're a good strategist too, so do you think you can help me make changes to fit Hikari?"

"Sure." Nozomi moved over to Haruka and started working. I just sat there by the window with Kasumi and Leaf.

Leaf tapped her knee. "So… what do you think of Shinji and your new classmates so far?"

I hummed monotonously, recalling the students around me. "I like them, actually. They're friendly and help me out." I then recalled Shinji. "As for Shinji-Senpai, he's a bit harsh… but he's a good guy."

The two squealed, sending me sly looks. "Do you have a crush on him?"

I shook my head frantically, trying to hide my blush. "I-it's not like I have a crush on him… It's just that… he's helped me through my troubles a lot, so…" I quietly laughed, "it feels like he's a good guy who's just… really serious."

Kasumi giggled. "Well, we can understand that. Anyways, why don't we tell you a few things about Shinji? It might help you for future decisions."

I titled my head in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"One," Leaf started, holding up one finger, "_Never_ rely on Shinji too much."

"Two," Kasumi held up two fingers, "If he _ever_ shows concern for you–don't take advantage of it–appreciate it. He rarely shows concern to anyone."

"Three, don't bother him when he starts grumbling to himself, scowling, and/or coming back from almost being run down by a group of girls."

"Four, if you catch him staring at you, he's interested about you." Kasumi shook her finger. "I don't mean as in 'love' interest, obviously. I mean that he's kinda curious about you."

I nodded, trying to recall any events that happened like that. "Well… I did catch him staring at me one time…" I slightly winced at that event. "He was staring at me quite intensely. It didn't feel like he was scowling at me or anything, though. Just intense staring…"

Leaf and Kasumi gasped at each other. They leaned in, shocked. "Are you serious?" I blinked in surprise, not knowing why they were so shocked.

"No…" I slowly droned. "Why?"

But they didn't hear me. They were murmuring to themselves. Unfortunately for them, Shinji trained my ears to have keen hearing, so I caught everything. I just chose not to say anything. But truthfully, they were being quite vague.

"But I thought that was a rumor!" Leaf whispered. "Wasn't it a rumor?"

Kasumi shrugged. "I thought it was a rumor too!" Her emerald eyes glistened in some kind of shock. "You don't suppose he knows that she's a girl, do you?"

Leaf shook her head. "Of course not! If he did, she would've been forced to get out the school! You know how he is!"

"Nah, I don't think he would've forced her out of Tobari Academy…" she muttered. "If he did, I would smack him with my mallet." On cue, her mallet appeared was poking out of her pocket dangerously. I slightly shuddered at the thought of her chasing after Shinji, smacking him with that weapon of hers.

I fiddled with my hands while they kept whispering to each other. Of course–in my case–I caught a few segments of their conversations.

"Done!" Haruka chimed. She turned to us and showed her book. A few adjustments were made.

Nozomi smirked, pointing to the beginning of the page. "Okay, so this is what we're going to do…"

~.~.~

"Where were you this morning?" Jun asked me.

I looked up, silent for a moment. "Oh, I was walking around Tobari Village." I fastened my hair tie around my thin ponytail. "Hey, is there anything we're doing today?"

"Aren't we having that Welcoming Student Ceremony?"

I acted as if I never heard of it. "Wait, what? There's a Welcoming Student Ceremony?"

Jun nodded. "No one told you?"

I shook my head. "No! No one told me!" I scoffed and crossed my arms. "How did you know about this?"

"Oh! Kengo told me."

My jaw hung open. That name… I knew that name… "Kengo as in… the same Kengo we used to go to the same school with?"

"Yeah, that's him!" Jun replied. "Do you want to meet him?"

"Dude, no one tells me anything anymore!" I exclaimed, pouting. "Why didn't you tell me that Kengo was here?"

"You didn't know? He was at the front line of the ceremony!" He shrugged. "Why don't you go meet him? He told me that he was going to go to the Tobari Meteorites."

Shinji looked up from his book, raising a brow. "Kengo, huh? He's the kid who bonded with Palkia." He glanced at me. "I don't think he knows that you're here yet." He smirked. "Looks like you have a rival, Jun."

Jun rolled his eyes smugly. "Oh, please. Kengo and I've been rivals since childhood."

"Why?"

"Oh… uh…" Jun paused, glancing at me. "It's… complicated."

I sighed. "Actually, it's something that should never be spoken…" I shook my head. "Poor Hikari…"

Shinji turned his attention to us. "Let me guess: You and that Kengo kid fought over his twin sister?"

Both of us were surprised at how quick he caught on. Oh, but then again… It does seem pretty cliché… I rolled my eyes. "Yes, but then they got over her and started fighting over other stupid things." I crossed my arms, smiling smugly. "Isn't that right, Jun?"

Jun looked the other direction, sulking. "Shut up, Hikaru." He recovered and shifted his attention back to me. "So you want to come with me to meet Kengo?"

"Duh! I'd like to give him a piece of my mind for trying to hit on Hikari." I rolled my eyes, punching my fist into my other open hand. "I still haven't finished beating him up when he decided to run away from me." I smiled with a dark aura. "You're just lucky that I finished with you, Jun."

"Y-yeah… A-aren't I lucky…?" He laughed nervously, obviously recalling my little "revenge" session. "A-anyways, let's go. He said that he was going to treat me to a lunch. He'll probably treat you to lunch too." He looked at Shinji. "Wanna come with us, Shinji?"

Shinji shook his head. "No, you two go ahead. I'm busy." He turned back to the book, reading again.

Before Jun and I headed out, I caught a glimpse of him staring at me again. It was like time had stopped for that moment. It wasn't a scowl, it wasn't intense, it wasn't anything bad. I had a feeling that it was a mix of curiosity and some kind of interest. I don't know how people can't read him. For me, he's like a… half-open book. I know – weird, right?

~.~.~

"Ah! Hikaru!" Kengo called out.

Kengo is a brown-haired guy from the same town as me. We used to go to the same school together before we came to Tobari Academy. Here's the unfortunate thing, though. Back when we were in the same school, I, as Hikari, was called Pikari.

I'm _not_ telling you the reason why!

I approached Kengo, trying my best not to emit a dark aura. I brought out my low voice. "Kengo! It's been such a long time!" I pounded fists with him, but before he can pull his back, I grabbed his wrist and threw him across the field. Luckily, he was well beyond the distance from the meteorites. "And _that_ was for Hikari!"

However, Kengo landed on his feet. His black eyes were wide with shock. "We haven't seen each other since we were eight and _this_ is how you greet me?" He shook his head. "Are you still upset about that incident with Pikari?" His eyes went wide again. "Crap…"

"You… did _not_… just call her… Pikari…" I glided over to him, my brow twitching in anger. "You're gonna get it, Kengo Palkia…" A multicolored orb formed before my lips. "Aurora Beam!" I shot my attack at Kengo point-blank.

"Oh shi…!" Before he could even finish that curse, my attack hit him and dealt some damage. He was flung to the ground as I chuckled darkly. "Okay! Okay! I get it! I'm sorry that I called her that!"

I started laughing. "Oh, I'm already over that. I'm just going to finish some business I had with you back when we were five. Do you remember, Kengo?" I crossed my arms. "That day when you made that sly move on Hikari?"

Kengo seemed to remember when he started to back away. "Look, Hikaru… I had no idea of what I was doing back then. We were kids too!" He continued to back away. "C-can't we settle this calmly and put that past behind?"

I shrugged. "I could…" Kengo sighed in relief. "… but Hikari can't." I tackled him and started wrestling him. It ended up with me sitting on him. I stood up after he did fifty push-ups with me on top of him. "Learned your lesson?"

"Yes, sir!" Kengo replied.

"It doesn't matter whether you bonded with Palkia or not." I smirked. "I can still hunt you down and beat the hell out of you, got it?"

Kengo nodded. I can tell he was scared, obviously. I helped him up and we went on our way to eat lunch.

We bought some bentou* for lunch and ate on top of the roof of the wall of our school. I bought an extra for Shinji. I ate nearly half of mine until a thought bubbled up. I packed my bentou and hopped off the roof. "I'm gonna go see Shinji-Senpai, okay?" I entered the school and went back to my dorm. "Shinji-Senpai, are you there?"

"What do you want?"

I slid the door open and went in. "I bought lunch for you. Why don't you eat with us?"

He shrugged. "I'm not hungry." He went back to reading his book.

I only sighed and placed the bentou beside him. "I'll just leave it here, if you don't mind." I ate my bentou by the open door, enjoying the warm breeze of spring. "Shinji-Senpai, what do they usually do in the Welcoming Student Ceremony?"

"I don't know," he replied. "I usually never attend that stupid thing." He rolled his eyes. "It's pathetic."

"Oh…" I was a bit disappointed. I mean, if he was one of the people who set the ceremony up, I would've messed with him so much! "I see. So you don't know even one activity they do?"

Shinji was silent for a moment before replying. "I do remember someone talking about jumping into Risshi Lake." He shrugged. "That's the only thing, I guess."

Yes, I know that already, Shinji. "Darn, I was hoping you'd know more." I sighed and threw away my bentou box. "Oh well, I don't blame you or anything." I suddenly remembered one of my classes. "Um, Shinji-Senpai?"

"Hm?"

"For Weapons Skills class, remember when Reiji-Sensei told us to think about which weapons we would want to use?"

He nodded. "What about it?"

"What do you use, Shinji-Senpai?"

Shinji stared for a quick second before replying, "I use a katana*." His hand suddenly glowed aquamarine and my eyes widened. Okay, if he was angry with me, I didn't mean it! I backed away from fright. "Relax, I'm showing you my weapon."

Suddenly, the black aura surrounding his hand shot up and a sword materialized. The katana was slightly curved, slender, and single-edged.

It was pure black with a white ripped, cloth shooting down the hilt from the guard. I saw sharp grooves designed on the blade. The hilt had a pommel with a few red strings tied to it.

Just looking at it sent me shivering. It was emitting such a powerful aura. I can already tell how long and hard he worked with this sword.

I stuttered, "W-where did that come from…?"

"This is my sword fused with Darkrai," he explained. "When you chose a weapon that most suits you, you can store it within your power and summon it whenever you need it." Shinji snapped and the sword vanished as black smoke.

He flexed his wrist and closed his book. "However, you don't choose the weapon. The weapon chooses you." He crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. "Which weapon do you want to use?"

I remembered when Reiji displayed a table of weapons. It was quite tempting for the majority of the class.

~.~.~

**Flashback…**

"_Alright, class! Remember when I taught you about weapons on our second meeting?" Reiji asked. He displayed a table full of weapons. "These are the weapons that we will be using."_

_I sat up from my seat to get a better view. I saw swords and bows! My jaw hung open at how frightening they looked!_

"_Damn… that is a scary variety of weapons…" I muttered under my breath. I sat back down as Reiji continued to explain about the weapons. _

_Shinji smirked and let out a small grunt. "Wait until you see the weapon under your power."_

"_This long sword here," Reiji held up the long sword, "is a katana." He then held up a slightly smaller sword. "However, this wakizashi is smaller than the katana. These were used in smaller areas, of course." He smiled, placing them back on the table. "Of course, if you decide to choose the katana as you weapon, both of these swords will be yours."_

_I nodded as I took notes._

_He then set them down. He picked up the large bow. "Ah, the bow and arrow. These are great for long-range fighting too." He pulled the string back. "However, this has great power and accuracy, depending on how well you're shooting of course." When he released it, we heard a faint whipping sound. "You only get a bow. Your arrows are from your energy and power. The arrows are created from your energy and element."_

"_Huh… they sure look interesting…" I added. I even drew how they looked like in my notebook._

**End of Flashback…**

~.~.~

"I'm not sure yet… I know we have until next week, but…" I tapped my finger on my chin. "I can't choose which weapon I want to use."

Shinji blinked at me. "Well, you'll find out which weapon is right for you when we start choosing, which will probably be next month after some practice." He suddenly pointed at me. "Look, don't tell anyone about this."

"What do you mean, Senpai?"

"Just don't, okay?"

I simply nodded, registering in my head to never speak of this event to _anyone_. That's the vibe I was getting from Shinji anyways. I sighed, readjusting my shinobi uniform. "Shinji-Senpai, remember when you transformed into your Darkrai form?"

Shinji's brows furrowed for a moment. "Yeah."

"When I first bonded with Crecelia, my hair tie had a crescent on it, my eyes were pink, and three wings were on my back." I searched around me for any of those features. "But after the first day, they disappeared. Wasn't that my Crecelia form?"

He crossed his arms, chuckling. "So you noticed," he grunted. "You see, when you first bond, you get to have the powers of your Pokémon form for a while. Then, it disappears… until you train to get it."

I nodded in comprehension. "Darn it… Which class can teach me with that?"

"Interacting with Pokémon class," he replied. "Once they finish teaching you, Fighting Strategy class will continue for them."

"Oh, I see…"

"Are you getting used to having classes at night now and then?" he asked. "Sometimes, you tend to… doze off."

I felt my cheeks turn hot from embarrassment. "O-oh… you noticed…?" I pouted, fiddling with my fingers. "I guess I shouldn't be dozing off, since I'm usually partners with you, huh?"

He raised a brow then smirked. "Hn."

I laughed at my own embarrassment. When I looked at the clock, I sighed. "The ceremony's going to be in a few hours…" My hand shot up to my chest. "I'm… kinda nervous…"

"Don't be." His eyelids slightly lowered. "If you do, they'll target you." I'm not sure if I was right, but I thought I saw his jaw tighten. "They're testing you based on what you learned in classes so far. The unfortunate ones would be the students who barely paid attention." Shinji shot me a warning look. "This isn't a child's game, Hikaru."

"I'm aware of that," I replied.

Shinji nodded in approval. "Good. For now, just meditate." He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. "You might be able to enjoy some peace and quiet until the ceremony." Then, he growled in annoyance. "Seriously, whoever is coming up these pranks is nothing but pathetic idiots who enjoys torturing new students."

My eyes widened. Never in my life have I ever seen or heard the _Prince_ Shinji insult someone like this before…

"Err… Shinji-Senpai, you're acting different than usual…" I unconsciously hugged my knees. "Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he growled. "I just hate these ceremonies."

"But why?"

"All they do is nothing but pathetic jokes and pranks on the new students," he spat.

That was when I realized… that Shinji wasn't really indifferent to others at all.

~.~.~

_**That night…**_

"Alright, all new students better be here!"

A student with spiky brown hair stood next to one with long purple hair. At first I thought it was Shinji, but I figured that he wouldn't have such a high-pitched voice…

The brown haired student stepped to the front. "My name is Shigeru Elekible (Electivire)!"

Then, the purple-haired one stepped to the front. "My name is Harley Noctus (Cacturne)!" He clasped his hands together, smiling. "I have to admit that this year's students are so adorable!" There was silence. I could tell how the others felt the same awkward atmosphere as me.

After some instructions, the ceremony has finally started. I prepared myself for anything. They led us to an open area of the forest, where there were a few trees, stumps, and bushes around. When everyone was wondering what was happening, a barrage of shuriken was flying towards us!

I leapt into the air and deflected a few with some sticks I picked up on the way. Everyone managed to survive without much cuts. Some fought with their kunai, some used their moves, and some simply dodged. I dodged because my agility came in handy for this. Fighting will have to come later.

Jun and I bumped into each other. However, there was no time to talk. We had to work together to defeat them.

He and I nodded to each other. "Ready to perform that strategy we've always used as kids… improvised?" I asked. Jun nodded and we got to work. We ran opposite directions and ran up the trees. Then, we jumped off of them towards each other. We got multiple kunai and scattered them throughout the trees surrounding us.

Here's the trick: there were wires attached to each one of them. I tied the other ends together on my kunai. Jun leapt up into the air while I was on the ground, dodging some of the shuriken.

"_DragonBreath!"_ Jun opened his mouth and he shot a beam of blue air towards me. I held up the kunai, where the wires were attached. The DragonBreath traveled through the wires towards the other end of the wires. Right when it hit them, the trees burst into blue flames of air. However, the shinobi who were attacking us leapt up from the trees.

Now's my chance! An orb was forming in my mouth and I got on the ground. I would like to thank Satoshi for teaching me this trick. I spun around quickly while releasing my Aurora Beam. The beam scattered and hit all the shinobi that tried to escape the DragonBreath. While I had this advantage, I used Confusion to catch them.

I smirked as they tried to struggle in my mental grip. "Got them!"

The new students turned their heads to Jun and me when they noticed that the barrage had stopped. They slapped our backs and gave us compliments. The leader, who just happened to be Shigeru himself!

"Nice work, guys! Especially you, Jun and Hikaru!" he remarked. "Well, you passed this part of the ceremony. Time to get to the next one." They led us to another open space, but this time, there were nothing special except this very, _very_ tall tree. "Your job is to get that flag over there," He pointed to that huge tree, "without touching the tree with your moves or anything else. Let's see what you'll do, hm?"

I thought for a moment, looking back up at the tree. However, the flag was gone! I smiled. The plan has begun. I heard rustling near me and I slowly went over to the bush. Haruka's head poked out and she pointed to the tree.

"Look! A shadow!" a student exclaimed. Everyone looked. The shadow picked up the flag and quickly flew toward me. Before I knew it, the flag was in my hand but I was hurled to the bushes.

"Ow…" I moaned, scratching my head.

I felt hands wrap around my legs and pull me out of the bushes. "Is he alright?"

"Hikaru's fine!" Jun reassured. "Wow, Hikaru! How did you get the flag?"

I stuck out my tongue. "Easy! I used my Levitate ability to lift myself to the tree and got it." I then looked at Shigeru. "You didn't say anything about levitating up the tree and getting it, right?"

Shigeru smirked, crossing his arms. "Not bad, newbie. Not bad."

Harley clapped, complimenting us… resulting in another awkward atmosphere between us. I wonder if there's something wrong with Harley. He seems… kinda girly… No offense.

"The next part will be a little wet, so get ready to face some water!"

I knew what was going to happen. We were going to jump into Risshi Lake. I facepalmed myself. Who would've thought that this part of the ceremony would come so early?

We approached a small cliff and looked down below. Risshi Lake was right there with the moonlight shining beautifully on it.

Shigeru cleared his throat. "Okay, for this part, you're just going to jump into Risshi Lake." But I saw a mischievous grin plastered on his face. "However, you'll have to jump in your underwear."

The guys around me didn't have any trouble with this. They stripped down to their b-boxers… Sure, I was masquerading as a boy most of the time, but I was _always_ embarrassed whenever I saw a guy's u-u-underwear! I swore that if I didn't know how to hide my emotions, my face would've turned red immediately!

"Hey, you!" Harley pointed at me. "Why aren't you taking your uniform off?"

I remembered what my medic friends told me. I just did whatever they told me to do. "I have a very bad scar on my back, and I don't want anyone to see it…"

Harley narrowed his eyes. "Is that so? Show me."

I hesitated, but I only showed him half of my back. There was a scar that was as wide as the length of my index finger and extended down to my waist. Harley's face scrunched up in disgust and let me off the hook. I survived this one. And boy, was I glad… Haha, you should've seen Harley's face! It's all thanks to Nozomi and Haruka for making this fake scar for me!

"Hikaru!" Jun called out from below. "You're not coming in?"

"I can't, Jun!" I shouted back. "Sorry!" I slowly went down a hill of boulders and rocks down the cliff. As soon as I landed on the grass, I found myself looking at… at… a-at… bare chests and backs! They were still in the water, so I won't have to worry about seeing their b-b-boxers. I _swore_ my face turned red this time!

"Hikaru, something wrong?"

"N-nothing's wrong!" I frantically shook my head, desperately trying to hide my blush. I took a step backward, but I didn't notice the smooth pebble near my foot. "Whoa!" I slipped and fell forward face flat.

Everyone started laughing. I rubbed the back of my head and laughed along. "Haha, clumsy me!"

"_Ow!"_ someone yelled. "Something bit me!" They looked around to see what was biting them. However, it was too dark to see anything. I wanted to laugh, but if I did, someone would get suspicious. The culprits were Nozomi's Nyarmar (Glameow) with the aid of Leaf's Kameil (Wartortle). I then saw a sharp fin pointed out of the water.

"Samehader (Sharpedo)!"

Everyone rushed out of the water, screaming their heads off. I suppressed my laughter as much as I could when I saw their reaction. They all gathered behind me, except Jun who did a facepalm.

"Guys, relax!" Jun demanded. "It's nothing! I don't think you'd see a Samehader in a lake, really!" When they turned back to the water, Kameil and Nyarmar were gone. They sighed in relief and got dressed. _I_ sighed in relief when everyone was clothed.

After a few more trials of the ceremony, we finally came to the Test of Courage. I sighed, wondering what kind of horrifying things they set up here. Since it's Tobari Academy, it's probably ambushes, barrages of weapons, elemental attacks, and maybe a few of those faux ghosts and things.

Shigeru turned around, smirking. "Alright, so who wants to go first? Once everyone's gone, we'll go in after you."

And let me tell you, this forest looked and felt eerie. It was like the very dead souls of this forest would jump right at you! I gulped my fears down and raised my hand. "I'll go first!"

"Alright, blue newbie!" he cheered. "Care to choose a partner or would you like to go alone?"

I smirked. "Alone, please."

Jun waved to me. "I'll go in after ya, Hikaru!"

With that, I went in the deep, dark forest. I already knew where our rendezvous point was, so I went off-course and headed there. When I arrived, I saw Kasumi, Haruka, Leaf, and Nozomi. They grinned, nodding at me. I nodded back.

The plan was to get every new student through the Test of Courage with a few traps made by Kasumi. When Shigeru and Harley come in, that's when the prank starts. Apparently, Leaf and Haruka wanted some kind of revenge on them and created a few traps of their own.

I suddenly heard Kengo scream. The girls giggled.

"What did you do?"

"Looks like he fell for our pitfall trap!" Nozomi whispered, quietly laughing. "Nice job on covering it, Kasumi."

Kasumi smirked haughtily. "Thanks, but there's worse." She chuckled darkly. I could not imagine what was going through that head of hers.

"So how are you going mislead Shigeru-Senpai and Harley-Senpai? They know their way through the Test of Courage path, don't they?"

Haruka nodded. "Yeah, but you see… Kasumi and I have been working on our illusion techniques for years and we've perfected it!" Her cerulean eyes were lit in determination. "Let's see… All the new students should be out of this place in half an hour or less, so let's get ready."

"I'll keep watch." Leaf disappeared into the bushes.

As we waited for her to give us the signal, we just talked to each other.

"Hey, Hikari?" Kasumi whispered.

I looked up from fiddling with Crecelia's small body. "Yes?"

"Okay, don't overreact or anything…" Uh-oh, please don't tell me this is about hormones and liking guys…? "Since you're a girl, won't you start liking guys? And since you're dressed as a guy, won't people think you're, as Hikaru… homosexual?"

Groaning, I scratched the back of my head. "Geez, I was hoping you wouldn't get to that, Kasumi-Senpai…" But she was right. If I was going to be a girl, I would have hold down all my girl hormones to prevent myself from liking anyone. By the way, I am_ not_ going through that stage again. "But that's why I'm doing my best to suppress whatever feminine urges I have."

"What about shopping and stuff like that?"

"W-well…" I couldn't hold it in. "Of course, I love to shop… I just go by Hikari then." I sighed. "But then…"

"If you're Hikaru, someone will get suspicious," Nozomi finished. "Well, that's understandable."

I pouted. "What's that supposed to mean…?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "It's nothing, it's nothing…"

Leaf rushed in to our spot. "They're coming, they're coming! Hikari, hurry and go to the finish line. We'll be okay from here."

I nodded and rushed back out of the forest. There, everyone was already gathered. I blended in with the crowd and waited until Shigeru and Harley came out. In seconds, the forest was filled with screams and… girly shrieks…

They got startled, but they supposed that they were only trying to scare us too. However, they were wrong.

Shigeru and Harley came out of the forest with a few cuts, scratches, and bumps on their heads. We sweatdropped, wondering what the heck happened to them. Even I barely knew the details of my friend's traps…

"Alright, who's the one who set up the traps?" he shouted. "If I catch whoever did this, they will pay!"

"Really, Shigeru?" Leaf called out. "Are you _really_ going to make me pay?"

His brown brow twitched. "_Leaf_…" he growled.

Harley scowled. "I can only guess that Kamo-Chan set up _my_ traps?"

Haruka poked her head out of the bushes, smirking from amusement. "Why don't you take a look at yourself instead of insulting me, Harley?" she teased. She burst into a fit of laughter. "Oh my Arceus, my stomach! It hurts so much!"

When we turned to see what Haruka was talking about, _everyone_ burst into laughter. It was so funny! Harley's hair was a sticky and pointy mess! It was like a full-on bed hair! His green hat was tattered, too!

He gritted his teeth. "I will get revenge, Haruka! I will!" He stomped away into the forest, supposedly going back to the academy grounds.

Shigeru chuckled. "Nice one, blue eyes! I've been trying to crack him for months!"

Haruka stuck her tongue out playfully. "Well, I guess you don't know him as much as I do!" She blinked. "Actually, I just know that he hates my guts and goes to the extremes to beat me at anything…" She shrugged, smirking. "What can I say? He's always fussing about his looks, ya know?"

I rolled my eyes and laughed along with the others as Shigeru tried to chase Leaf down. I mean, he's chasing after Leaf without using his abilities. Either that or he's too pissed off to even use it.

Suddenly, I sensed a familiar energy. I looked around to see the cause, but there was nothing. I checked above me, only to catch a glimpse of a flying shadow across the night sky.

My lips twitched up into a small smile as I closed my eyes. _How long were you watching us…_ I thought. I opened my eyes, confirming the identity of that shadow. _… Shinji-Senpai?_

~.~.~

_A/N: No, it's not a cliffhanger. xD Yeah, I read over some of my stories. I really tend to give out a lot of cliffhangers… :/ Anyways, sorry for the late update! My school is killing me as final exams are nearing, Ichi and I have to switch places to type this (since I also have drawings to attend to :3), and I caught a cold… :( _

_**Asterisks***_

_Bentou* - These are boxed lunches. They have rice (obviously) and other side dishes such as shrimp, sweet potatoes, teriyaki, pickled plums, and etc. Quite common in Japan._

_Katana* - This is a Japanese sword. The general description is within Shinji's katana. :3 _

_Well… Time to go start on Ribbon of Royalty…_


	4. Heated Rivalry

_A/N: To those who thought Shinji found out Hikari's identity in the last chapter… No, he didn't find out her identity. He was watching Jun and Hikari's progress through the "ceremony"._

_Note: Kouhei/Conway, Yadoking/Slowking, Takuto/Tobias, Suzuna/Candice, Denji/Volkner_

**Tobari Shinobi: Shinou Scandal****  
CH ****4****:**** Heated Rivalry**

Three weeks had passed for Tobari Academy, but it felt like a year – a year of torture – for Hikari.

Shinji always made them get up much too early. He trained them too harshly, in her point of view. (Who trains their juniors until they faint?) He had ignored her and got her angry so many times. One time, he nearly got her into trouble!

But… there were times when he did care about the two. He sometimes gave them tips, although they were vague. He took them back to their dorm when they were down. He did show a little concern when they weren't acting like their usual selves. He hasn't showed any threatening looks to them… yet.

Kasumi, Haruka, Leaf, and Nozomi did a great job treating her without Takeshi taking a look. Every time she was carried to the medical center, it was always one of them that told Takeshi that they'll take care of her. Always did they treat her right and got her up and energized.

Of course, Hikari did think she must've been bothering them too much. That's why she always trained when no one was around or after classes ended. Her needs of medical care shrunk more and more. But she did visit her friends everyday – even for a minute.

Also, it turned out that there was more to Shinji than Hikari thought. Of course, Jun was oblivious to all this. However, she had been paying attention to Shinji's actions and emotions.

~.~.~

It was sunset when Shinji awoke Hikari from her nap. Jun stretched, taking a break from studying.

"Shinji-Senpai, why did you call us here?" Hikari and Jun were seated in front of Shinji, a slightly nervous atmosphere among the two. "Did we do something wrong…?"

"Of course not," Shinji snorted as he rolled his eyes. "I called you here to see which weapons will choose you." He walked to his closet, rummaging through it. "We were delayed for a month because of… certain preparations…" The two exchanged confused glances, but shrugged it off. "Anyways, I'll let you guys try it out first.

He took out a sword and a bow. At first, they looked normal… until they suddenly changed colors at his touch!

"Whoa… How…?" Jun stuttered. "I mean, when did you-?"

"When did I get these two weapons?" Shinji finished for him. "I always keep them around for my roommates. However, they never passed those tests, so they never had a chance to use these." He placed them on the ground in front of them. Right when he released them, they changed back to normal.

Hikari's jaw hung open. "H-how…?"

He sat opposite of them. "These are test weapons. When you touch it, it reacts and changes form." Darkrai appeared on his shoulder. "Since Darkrai is a dark type, mine would be black. There are also other features of the weapons too."

Hikari tilted her head. "Um… I remember that there was some red cloth from the guard…"

"Oh, the other colors are from how your Pokémon looks like." Shinji leaned his cheek on his hand. "Touch them and see how they react."

Without hesitation, Hikari's hand randomly shot for the katana. Crecelia had fused with the bladed weapon.

It changed into a pale pink color. The hilt was blue, while the guard was magenta with a thin sheet of pink silk freely flowing from the base of the blade. A long golden ribbon extended out from the pommel with a small crescent moon ornament hanging at the end of the ribbon. As for the blade, smooth curves were designed on it.

The ribbon and silk were both shining like pure sunlight. It was as if nothing can tarnish its beauty.

Then, she touched the bow. It changed to the same pale pink color. However, the string was a silky blue color and a golden bandage wrapped around the bow. A golden crescent ornament was hanging from the middle of the blue string. However, she didn't see any arrows. But when she flicked her wrist, a thin pink arrow formed!

The arrow was glowing and there was shining energy swirling about.

"Whoa…" When she set down the bow, it changed back to normal and the arrow vanished into thin air.

Shinji nodded in comprehension. "Hmmm… They showed good reactions…"

Jun's amber eyes shined in joy. "This is so cool! My turn, my turn!"

Hikari blinked for a few seconds, processing in her head the feeling of the weapons' powers when she touched them. "I think the katana chose me."

"Well, it's always the one who touches it first who figures it out immediately after all." Then, a smirk formed. "Now, if the katana chooses him, we'll be enemies. However, if the bow chooses him, we will become a team for Weapon Skills class."

A tense atmosphere lingered around Jun and Hikari. It all depended on him now.

When he touched the bow, it turned dark blue. The bandages disappeared and had bluish gray stripes running down the sides of the bow. The string was a sky blue with a diamond hanging from the middle. He flicked his wrist and a blue arrow appeared. Strangely, he saw shining particles moving inside of it and it seemed flawless, like a diamond. "Can I shoot this?"

Shinji firmly shook his head. "No, you need to learn to control your power through weapons first. Who knows what could happen if you just shot it?"

"Oh." Jun gazed at the arrow for a while and set it down. The arrow vanished and the bow changed back to normal.

Then, he touched the katana. The blade became a dark blue with a bluish gray stripe running down it in the center. The guard had a wing-like structure that covered only one side of the guard. The hilt was a sky blue color and a diamond was hanging from the pommel. The stripe running down the center of the blade had energy swirling about.

As he set down the katana, he crossed his arms, thinking about the weapons. "I'm not saying this because I _want_ to be in the same team, but I think the bow chose me!"

Hikari scratched her head. "Well, I'm not sure what power you felt, but I'm judging by the appearance of the weapons." She pointed at the bow. "I also think the bow chose him."

Shinji shrugged, leaning against the wall. "It's your choice. It's not like the other weapon will decrease your chances of survival or anything. The weapon that chooses you just tends to perform at its best." He smirked. "But I've got to say: You two aren't bad in determining which weapon chose you." He smirked, giving them a nod. "Looks like we'll be a team."

Jun pumped up a fist. "Yes! This is gonna be so awesome!"

"I'll be in your care!" Hikari smiled.

~.~.~

It hasn't been long since their weapons chose them. But they were practicing techniques, their performance, and the stances every day. Of course, they had enough time to study for their other classes.

Hikari definitely aced Health, PokéFood, Pokémon Battles, and Interacting with Pokémon. She got average grades on the rest, though. She knew that Shinji wasn't going to be very satisfied with her, but she was doing her best to get good grades.

As for Jun, he aced Poké Moves, Pokémon Battles, Fighting Strategy, and Interacting with Pokémon. He wasn't doing too well in PokéFood, so Hikari had to help him. Fortunately, she was very skilled in cooking.

She was never able to understand how Shinji can balance all his classes and _still_ get straight A's. Was that even possible? They _did_ have classes at night after all. Wouldn't he have to get a lot of sleep to stay up the whole night? She always sighed, shrugging her curiosity off. He was still a mystery to her.

One day, Weapon Skills class was split by teams. Since Shinji, Hikari, and Jun were a team, they worked together. Sadly, half the students in the class couldn't team up together with their dorm mates.

"Looks like we're one of the lucky ones, huh?" Jun laughed. "I bet we're gonna be the best team out of all the other teams!"

"Don't get too carried away," Shinji warned. "There's one team that always won the Yumi*・Katana Competition." He shifted his gaze to a team nearby. "Kouhei Yadoking, Shigeru Elekible, and Takuto Latios… They've always defeated every team in the competition, and they never lost before." Hikari followed his gaze to see three professional-looking students, even Shigeru.

Kouhei had forest green hair. He wore a salmon pink uniform – which Hikari thought it totally clashed with his hair color – and a red and white collar around his neck. He also wore glasses that were black-framed and rectangular. He often adjusted it when answering questions or discussing. A katana was attached to his sash.

As for Shigeru, he had a bow.

Takuto seemed like a mysterious fellow. He had grayish blue hair and light green eyes. His bangs had covered one half of his face. He wore a gray uniform with a round triangle-like marking on his chest. He was also wearing a deep blue cape that extended to his waist in the front and to his thighs in the back. The rim of the back of the cape looked like they were ripped. He had a katana with him, like Kouhei.

Hikari raised a brow. "Shinji-Senpai, didn't you compete in the competition?"

Shinji shook his head. "I didn't have a team…" He slightly lowered his head. "… nor did anyone want to be in a team with me." He rolled his eyes, disappointment showing in his eyes. "It's not like I'm going to train them to their death."

The blunette coughed in sarcasm. "Yeah… Let's go with that…" She turned to Jun, who was practicing pulling on the string. "It's harder than you thought, huh?"

Jun's eye twitched. "Yeah, but I'm pretty sure I'll get used to it." He smirked, holding his head up high. "I _am_ Jun Dialga, the shinobi who can adapt quickly, after all."

Hikari did a facepalm, chuckling to herself. "Jun… proud as a peacock as usual…" She turned to the team that was said to be the undefeated trio. _They definitely look, feel, and sound powerful. I better do my best if we want to win this,_ she thought.

Suddenly, Kouhei approached Shinji. "My, my… It looks like you've got quite the team, Shinji-San." He adjusted his glasses, smirking. "I hear that those two are the prodigies of their rank." He acted like Hikari and Jun didn't even exist.

"Ranks?" Jun asked.

Kouhei snorted, his smirk growing wider. "What? You don't even know?" He crossed his arms with that same smirk still plastered on his face. "You see, there are three ranks in this school: Junior, Medium, Elite. You two are in the Junior Rank. Shinji, Shigeru-San, Takuto-San, and I are in the Elite Rank."

"So you're saying that we're actually the prodigies of the Junior Rank?" Hikari repeated.

"Hey…" Jun hissed. "So what are you trying to say about our team?" He gritted his teeth. "Are you calling him weak because of us?" A crowd had gathered around them when they heard Jun's shouts. Hikari looked around worriedly, while Shinji was focused on Kouhei. Fortunately, Reiji was away for the moment.

Kouhei snorted again, an evil smirk growing on his face. "This is your first year here, after all. There is absolutely no way you can defeat us in the Yumi・Katana Competition." He smirked at Shinji, shaking his head. "I feel terribly sorry for you, Shinji-San. You have to deal with these amateurs…"

Shinji scowled menacingly. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was stopped by Hikari's hand.

Hikari's eyes narrowed, her warm and shining eyes switching to serious and sharp eyes. "Kouhei-Senpai," she called out. "Shinji-Senpai has been training us like we were in his ranks. There is no need to make remarks like that." She stepped up to the Elite student, her hands clenching into fists. Kouhei was a head taller than her–though not as tall as Shinji–but it didn't intimidate her.

"Oh…?" he prolonged the word. "He did, did he?" The green-haired student glanced at Shinji and then to Hikari. His smirk turned into a threatening frown. "Look, Crecelia… You're nothing but a Junior. There is no way that you can defeat me, or even Takuto, in a sword fight."

Shinji's eyes widened as he glared at Kouhei. He knew what Kouhei was trying to do.

"Is that a challenge?" Hikari lowly whispered.

_Don't give in to him, Hikaru!_ Shinji wanted to say that to her, but he couldn't do anything.

Kouhei simply shrugged, crossing his arms. Yes, he was provoking her to challenge him to a battle.

The blunette simply smirked. "Sorry, but I'll have to decline that challenge of yours." She looked at him square in the eye as smugly and seriously as possible. "You'll have to wait a bit longer until the Yumi・Katana Competition." She wheeled around, her long blue hair almost slapping Kouhei's chest as she returned to her team. "I'll be there to defeat you, so I would like for you to wait."

Hikari grabbed Shinji and Jun's wrists and led them away from Kouhei.

Shigeru clicked his tongue as Takuto and he approached to the green-haired student's side. "Dude, you just got burned…!" He slapped his thigh as he broke into laughter.

Takuto sweatdropped when he saw Kouhei grind his jaws and clench his hands into fists. _That guy has no clue of what he has done,_ he thought. _This is going to turn out badly…_

The crowd that had surrounded them were smirking, snickering, and murmuring to each other. They couldn't believe that a _Junior_ had humiliated the _Elite _Kouhei Yadoking!

"That little brat…" Kouhei crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes. "So he thinks he can defeat me, does he?" An angry smirk widened on his face. "Moreover, he just thinks he can humiliate me in front of the class just because he's the prodigy of the Junior rank?" He chuckled darkly. "That little one… will face my wrath…"

With that, he turned back to his team, working on their techniques.

Meanwhile, Hikari was freaking out. "What did I do?" she whispered. "Oh my gosh, I just angered an Elite student! He's gonna kill me!" She kept squeaking to herself.

Shinji sighed, smacking himself. "You say all that and then freak out at the end?" He groaned, resting his palm on his forehead as he pushed his bangs up. "Thanks to you, we'll really have to defeat them."

"_Really?_" Hikari squeaked. She shook her head frantically and pumped up a determined fist. "No need to worry! If we train hard enough, I'm sure we'll defeat them!"

"How can you stay so determined?" Jun asked. "You just challenged the yet-to-be defeated Kouhei Yadoking! Are you crazy, Hikaru?"

Hikari smiled. "I'm the one who challenged him after all. I shouldn't be backing down!"

"But it also means that you involved us into the challenge too," Shinji reminded. "The challenge that _Kouhei_ proposed and you accepted is the Yumi・Katana Competition." He groaned, mentally smacking himself. "That means that even Jun and I have to be in this challenge with you, as a team."

Jun blinked for a few moments. "So… you're saying that we _have_ to defeat his team?" When Shinji nodded, Jun shook Hikari frantically by the shoulders. "Are you crazy? I know that we have the potential to beat them, but why now?"

"Let me go, Jun!" she exclaimed through every shake. "Don't worry. We have only five months to practice." She nodded firmly. "I'm sure we'll be able to be professional by then."

"It's not as easy as you think," Shinji started, "but if it's us, I think…" He hesitated for a second. "… I think we'll be able to defeat them."

~.~.~

It was midnight of Saturday. The moon was hidden within the shadows of the clouds. The stars twinkled dimly in the night sky. In the darkness, a dark figure hopped as fast as light from roof to roof.

It continued on its way until it reached the peak of Tobari Palace. It stood still, gazing at the whole village. The figure was covered in black garb while a scarf loosely wrapped its neck. A long sash was tied around the waist as it blew in the wind with the scarf. It took out a katana and held it up as a large white orb formed at the tip.

With a grunt, the figure shot the orb into the air. The orb broke into several small orbs and was scattered all over the region. The orb that was scattered to Tobari Village aimed towards the center of the village. It then broke into smaller orbs and scattered throughout the village. When an orb had touched its destination, a message was written.

One of the orbs had wandered into Tobari Academy and hit a wall. It did not make a sound. It simply disappeared within the wall and the message began to write itself.

Meanwhile, Hikari had just finishing taking her bath. She always washed herself when everyone else was sleeping. It was safer that way, but also risky. It was so because students were not allowed to go out of their dorms after curfew. It was strictly forbidden, but the teachers were all asleep by this time.

She sensed something strange, though. It was as if the atmosphere around her had changed somehow. She just couldn't put her finger on it. In fact, she really couldn't. Hikari stepped out of the bath tub and dried herself with a towel. She then changed into her uniform and walked out of the shower rooms.

Hikari tried to locate where the strange sensation was coming from. She made her way to the wall and her eyes widened. She gasped from fright. She covered her mouth so she won't make any louder noises.

The message was written in glowing letters. She tried to touch them, attempting to rub it off. But nothing happened. The letters were not smudged at all. They stayed there, piercing her eyes with the menacing glow. She noticed that the letters had her every dream and nightmare inside them. She tried her best to ignore it and read the message.

_The Murasaki Legacy still exists. You, who swore that you destroyed it, are just a coward_

_who can't and will never face the bloody truth of its past._

_-Dream Messenger-_

Hikari furrowed her brows at the first words. "Murasaki… Legacy…?" She has only heard it once. It was what caused the Region War. The Murasaki Legacy had caused the kings of each region to fight over it, and it eventually turned into a war.

The Murasaki Legacy was originated from Shinou, for the King of Shinou had created that legacy. Because of the war, the regions had all decided not to elect a king. If there was a king, there would be tyranny. If there was tyranny, there would be force and war. If there was force and war, there would be bloodshed. If there was bloodshed, there would be revenge. Revenge… was an eternal cycle that can never be stopped, no matter how mild it is.

She sighed, rubbing her wet blue hair. Then, she noticed the name below. "Dream Messenger…" Hikari tilted her head in confusion. "Crecelia, are you awake?"

Crecelia appeared by her shoulder. "Yes, Hikari-Chan. I'm awake when you are." She read the message. "But the 'Dream Messenger' gets me curious. Who can the 'Dream Messenger' be?"

"Who knows…?" She sighed, staring at the word 'Murasaki'. "I swear I know that name 'Murasaki' somewhere…" Hikari shrugged her curiosity off and went back to the dorm.

~.~.~

The next morning was full of chaos. When Hikari awoke, all the student body gathered at the wall where the words were written. Jun had gotten up even earlier than her to see it. Apparently, he was the first to see it and woke everyone up. Shinji was there, too.

"Guys!" Kengo called out. "The newspaper is here!" The students gathered around as Kengo passed out the newspapers.

Meanwhile, Reiji had called all the leaders and teachers of every village and town. He pointed to the wall near the entrance door. "The Dream Messenger…" He looked at the teachers worriedly, leaning on the back of his head. "This is the first time I've ever heard of it. Does anyone know about this 'Dream Messenger' person?"

The leaders and teachers all shook their heads, constantly glancing at the message.

"Prince Reiji, at this rate, there will be trouble," Shirona reminded. "If there are villagers that have not forgotten the Region War, the Dream Messenger will surely trigger the hatred that they have suppressed all these years."

"That is what I'm worried about…" Reiji replied. "I can't have the regions go into a war again. If the war repeats…" His eyes narrowed in concern. "… it will be worse. Not only will Tobari Academy have to train to go into war… the villagers will be in danger." He rested his head on his hand, reading the message over and over again.

"Reiji-San, do you know who the Dream Messenger can be?"

Reiji shook his head. "Sorry, Sumomo-Kun. Even I have no clue whose energy it is from." He closed his eyes, trying to feel the energy emitting from the letters. It had… quite a sharp energy, and you could even sense the strong bitterness from just one letter. _There's no way it could've been my little brother,_ he thought. _Sure, he's smart, but I don't think he'd do something like this._

"Prince Reiji…" An elderly woman with a brown scarf called out. "The Murasaki Legacy… If it's not destroyed, where could it be hidden?" The room was filled with murmurs. "You and Prince Shinji _are_ the descendants of your father, after all. You are Prince Murasaki* Reiji and Shinji…"

"I know…" Reiji murmured. "I don't know where my father could've hidden the Murasaki Legacy."

"We need to capture the Dream Messenger, Prince Reiji," Suzuna declared. "The more we let the Dream Messenger run around, the more messages he will send! If that happens, Shinou and the other regions will be in danger."

Reiji nodded, leaning back on his chair. "I'm aware of the consequences. We'll just have to approach this as carefully as possible. If something goes wrong, I'm pretty sure the Dream Messenger will strike at us with something worse."

Denji raised his hand. "Um… Prince Reiji?"

"Yes, Denji-Kun?"

"I want to remind you about something, but since we're in a state of chaos…" he trailed off. "… I'm not sure if this is the right time."

Reiji shook his head, smiling. "What is it that you want to remind me?"

"Um… If you insist…" Denji shifted in his seat. "Weren't you going to tell us about changing Tobari Academy's night classes?"

"Oh!" Reiji exclaimed. "Oh! Oh yes! I forgot!" He chuckled nervously. "My apologies, everyone. Why don't we put aside this Dream Messenger situation for now and discuss Tobari's Academy's night classes?"

In Tobari Academy, the students were going insane. The moment they heard about the news of the Dream Messenger sent the school into hysterical excitement. It was thrilling to them. It was as if the Dream Messenger gave them an adventure and mystery to unravel.

Shinji read the newspaper in front of him. The words written on that one sheet of paper had piqued his curiosity.

**The Dream Messenger**

The Dream Messenger has left a message last night. If you read it, please do not be alarmed.

We will do our best to capture the Dream Messenger.

Everything will be solved when he is captured.

-Prince Reiji-

"Oh…?" He stared at the title of the article. "Capture the Dream Messenger…? This is quite interesting." Shinji noticed Hikari approaching the crowd, yawning. "You're awake?"

Hikari nodded, laughing nervously. "So… what's with all the excitement?"

Shinji pointed to the message with his head. "Go see for yourself." He looked down at the article again, reading about last night's event. When Hikari came back, he looked up at the glowing letters. It showed every dream he had. No… not dreams… nightmares… He stared at it, his eyes dull and indifferent.

"Senpai…" she muttered. "Where were you last night?"

"I was at Tobari Palace." Shinji slightly grimaced at the thought. "I can't believe what I'll be going through in the Hanami*."

"Why?" Her eyes suddenly widened at the festival. "Oh yeah! We're going to Jun and my hometown for the Hanami! Futaba Town is _known_ for its Sakura trees!"

Shinji smirked, taking his eyes off the message. "I know. You seem quite excited although it's your own hometown."

Hikari grinned, shrugging. "Well, most would get sick of preparing the Hanami since birth, but…" She looked ahead of the gates, as if she was searching for her hometown's direction. "… but there's something new every year. That's why I love Hanami."

"Is that so?" He also looked at the same direction as her. "Then… I hope you have another great Hanami."

~.~.~

The next day was a bit struggling for Hikari, but she knew she could manage. When classes ended, which was at dawn, she went to the kendo grounds to practice kendo. In the kendo grounds, there were bamboo all around so the students can practice chopping them down with their katana. Nearby were the archery grounds, where targets stood for the archers to shoot their arrows.

Unfortunately, she never was able to get her grip right. She also had difficulty trying to twist her blade every time she wanted to chop off a part of a bamboo in a different angle. She knew that she needed to practice everyday.

What she didn't know was that Kouhei and his team was watching. Ever since Hikari had "humiliated" Kouhei, he kept an angry eye on her.

That day, he decided to apologize to her. Shigeru and Takuto followed him, concerned about what the green-haired student was going to do.

Hikari noticed Kouhei's team approaching her and stopped practicing. She did not lower her katana, signaling that she was on her guard. "Kouhei-Senpai? Is there something you need?"

Kouhei shook his head, adjusting his glasses. "Not at all, Hikaru." He crossed his arms, looking at another direction. "I just want to apologize for my rude behavior that day."

She raised a brow, but kept her curiosity on a low profile. "No need to apologize, Senpai." Hikari stuck her blade into the soil, but kept her hands on her hilt. "I also have to apologize for my rudeness that other day."

However, her apology did not satisfy the anger boiling inside of Kouhei. He smirked, taking out his own katana. "Why don't _I_ teach you something about kendo myself?" His smirk grew wider and, if you looked more closely, crueler. "You'll definitely be able to learn something for the Yumi・Katana Competition."

"What do you mean?"

Shinji was walking by the border of the school grounds. He had a bad feeling about something, but he just couldn't locate where it was coming from. Satoshi suddenly jumped on him from a roof.

"Hey, Shinji!" he greeted. Satoshi slid a friendly arm across Shinji's neck. "So what's up? Is this whole Dream Messenger business getting to your head now?"

"Shut up, Satoshi." Shinji brushed Satoshi's arm off. "It's not that… although it's quite interesting to see how Aniki will capture the Dream Messenger…"

Satoshi tilted his head in curiosity. "Then, what's biting ya?"

Jun was sitting on the porch of the dorm rooms, polishing his bow. He continued to pull the string absentmindedly, wondering why he felt uncomfortable. "I wonder where Hikaru is… He hasn't been resting a lot lately…" He got up, definitely feeling something… amiss in the atmosphere. Jun blinked for a moment and headed to the practice grounds.

Hikari was standing by a thick bamboo. It was wide enough to hide her hand face up! Kouhei was standing yards away from her, his katana drawn and ready to slice. She gulped as she looked at the apple on top of her head. It was obvious to know what he was going to do. He was either going to slice that apple in half – along with the bamboo – without touching her, or he was going to use a move to shoot it off _and_ cut the bamboo at the same time.

Kouhei lowered his sword to his front, his eyes glued on Hikari. "Don't worry. This will be over soon."

Shigeru glanced from Kouhei to Hikari. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?"

"Relax, Elekible. I'm just teaching him a lesson about kendo."

Takuto bit his lower lip, feeling a little uncomfortable about this. "Kouhei, what are you going to gain from teaching him a lesson?"

But it was too late to convince Kouhei. He already charged towards Hikari, his weapon high above his head.

"Kouhei!" Shigeru shouted after him.

His katana glowed blue as an orb of water formed at the tip of the blade. "Water Pulse!" He swung his katana down, the orb of water breaking into a small wave. But it wasn't just an ordinary wave of water. The wave had a sharp edge, just like a blade.

Jun ran in, attempting to stop Kouhei. But it was too late. The Water Pulse was already traveling towards Hikari at a rapid pace. The wave seemed to be aiming at her neck! "Shit! Get out of there, Hikaru!"

Hikari couldn't move! She was paralyzed from fright! The wave was aiming menacingly towards her _neck_! Her legs wouldn't obey her plea to get out of the way.

"_Hey!_" Shinji jumped into the scene, taking Hikari down with him. They rolled across the soil as the wave pierced the bamboo… right where her neck was. He held on to Hikari for a moment of safety before looking at the attacker. Pure rage was burning in his eyes.

When he looked at the unconscious Hikari in his arms, his scowl was replaced by a look of shock and concern.

Jun gaped at the sight. He stared at Kouhei, wide-eyed. "What do you think you're doing, you bastard?"

Kouhei sheathed his katana before looking at Jun. "What? I was simply trying to teach him a lesson." He readjusted his glasses. "It seems that I miscalculated my aim."

"Miscalculated, my fucking ass! That's complete bullshit!" he protested. Jun gave Kouhei one last glare before he followed Shinji to the medical center.

~.~.~

"I wonder what Hikari is doing," Leaf murmured. "What if she needs our help today? We won't be there to help her!"

The girls looked at each other worriedly.

Kasumi sighed, scratching the back of her head. "I'm sure she'll be fine, Leaf. I mean… she's been getting better at not coming to the medical center in an injured state."

"I guess so…" Leaf replied. "I just feel… a little uncomfortable…"

Haruka picked a Momon Berry and dropped it inside her basket. "I know what you mean, Leaf." Her eyelids lowered in concern. "I'm getting a bad feeling about today…"

Nozomi groaned, squatting with her berry basket next to her. "Why did Doctor Takeshi make us replenish the supplies today of all times?" She lowered her head, sensing something bad in the atmosphere. "There's something wrong… I can feel it…"

~.~.~

"Doctor Takeshi! Doctor Takeshi!" Jun called out as he slammed the door open. "There's trouble! We need your help!" Shinji rushed into the room, carrying Hikari on his back. "Hikaru… Hikaru got…!"

"What happened?"

Shinji gently laid Hikari on the bed. "Hikaru lost consciousness. Kouhei tried to aim his blade at his neck." He stared at Hikari for a while and then turned back to Takeshi.

Takeshi examined the blunette for a moment and nodded. "I'll see what I could do. For now, you need to step outside. Visitors are not allowed right now." He sent Shinji and Jun out of the medical center and checked on Hikari.

Satoshi _flew_ over to the medical center as soon as he heard the news. "Guys! I heard that Hikaru lost consciousness! What happened?"

"That Elite bastard, Kouhei, tried to kill Hikaru!" Jun hissed ominously. "Shinji managed to get him out of there in time, but Hikaru fainted." His hands clenched into fists. "I'm going to beat the shit out of him…!"

"You can't go chasing after him for vengeance, Jun Dialga!" Shinji growled. "You'll get your revenge at the Yumi・Katana Competition."

Jun crossed his arms, glaring at the wall. "Hmph!"

Inside the medical center, Takeshi was checking Hikari's pulse. It was a little faster than an average pulse, but it slowed down as time passed. "It looks like Hikaru went into shock." He placed her wrist back on the mattress. "But just to be sure…" He grabbed his stethoscope and plugged them to his ears.

~.~.~

Takeshi stepped out of the center, finding Shinji, Jun, and Satoshi waiting by the door. He looked at the three seriously before sighing. "You'll have to come back later. He will need rest for one class only. If any of you has a class with him next, please do inform the teacher in charge."

"But Takeshi, we should at least visit Hikaru." Satoshi shoved his hands into his pockets. "I mean, don't you think we should check up on him to see if he'll be okay?"

"…" The doctor didn't say a word. "I'm sorry, Satoshi. You'll have to wait until he is fully recovered." He glanced at Shinji. "Go to your classes now. I wouldn't want you to be in trouble because of this." With that, he entered the medical center again.

As time passed, Hikari began to gain consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open, her vision blurry. As the blurriness cleared, she found herself surrounded by bags of herbs, baskets of berries, and other medical tools. She looked from side to side, jerking up from the bed.

_This is… the medical center,_ she thought. Her eyes suddenly widened. She got out of the bed, preparing herself to leave. But… Takeshi stopped her. _Crap, just wing it, Hikari!_

Hikari looked away from Takeshi, trying to avoid eye contact. "Um… I will take my leave now. I'm sorry to take your time."

When she took a step past him, Takeshi turned around. "Are you a girl?"

The blunette stopped, her heart leaping to her throat. She couldn't swallow it back in. There was nothing but silence in the room. Hikari didn't want to answer him, but did she have a choice? No, she didn't. She _had_ to answer him! However, the lump in her throat prevented her from doing so.

"Answer me, Aikawa Hikaru Crecelia!" Takeshi demanded. "Are you a girl?"

~.~.~

_A/N: Takeshi found out about Hikari's true identity! What will happen in the next chapter? Tune in next time for the next update of Tobari Shinobi: Shinou Scandal! Lol, I fail at making those end credit things. xDDD Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. I had to make Kouhei the enemy, because… (well, even though I'm a guy)… Kouhei is creepy. =_="_

_(Edit (03/02): If you noticed that I spelled Cresselia as Crecelia and got confused, please read my author's note for Chapter 3. I just really hate it when people don't read my A/N – even if they are a bit long – and complain to me about it later. So this is my second reminder: I'm going to use the JAPANESE names for the Pokémon! I repeat, JAPANESE!_

_**Questions**_

_What do you think about the rivalry that had sparked between Team Kouhei and Team Shinji?  
Who do you think the Dream Messenger is?  
Why do you think the Dream Messenger mentioned the Murasaki Legacy?  
How did Takeshi find out Hikari's identity? (Haha, way too easy… xD)  
Where do you think Satoshi usually hangs around?_

_**Asterisks***_

_Yumi – The Yumi is actually the Yumi bow, a Japanese bow. It's about two meters and it's asymmetric. It's slightly curved in the middle, too._

_Murasaki – There are two different kinds of names. One is for a color. Another is for a last name. The color part of the name means 'purple'. The last name part of the name is 'come to the village'. loooooooool, Shinji and Reiji's last names can be used a puns: Their hair is purple and they live in Tobari VILLAGE. xD *shot*_

_Hanami – This is called the 'Cherry Blossom-Viewing Festival/Sakura Festival'. This is mostly held during April or May when the Sakura are blooming. The Japanese gather around to have picnics, have fun with other parties, and there's more activities you can do. You just have to make sure that you grab the good spots in the early morning before everyone else takes it away!_

_Aikawa – This is a last name. It means 'dark blue river'. Ai (__藍__) means 'dark blue', and Kawa means 'river'. What? Hikari's hair is dark blue and it's long and flows like a river! *shot*_

_Until I verify a few more things in this fanfic, I'll just leave it like this. ^^" Oh, and the reason why I didn't use 'Berlitz' or uh… 'Shinji Paul' (*shot*) is because I prefer Japanese names. :'D Forgive me if you don't understand._


	5. Just One Chance

_A/N: Hey everyone, sorry for not updating last month. I've been busy with Hana's school's Pray For Japan project. _

_Anyways, I also have __**ANOTHER THING**__ to say. Someone (not saying names) wrote a review that I spelled Cresselia wrong. But if you read my author's note in __**CHAPTER 3**__, I wrote that I was going to use the Japanese names for the Pokémon. Seriously, is it __**that**__ troublesome to read my author's notes? I don't mean to get mad or anything, but a nerve just snapped. __**CRESSELIA'S JAPANESE TRADEMARK NAME IS CRECELIA!**_

_Note: Lucky/Chansey, Ayako/Johanna_

**Tobari Shinobi: Shinou Scandal****  
CH ****5****:**** Just One Chance **

"Answer me, Aikawa Hikaru Crecelia!" Takeshi demanded. "Are you a girl?"

Hikari trembled and swallowed the lump in her throat. She turned around to face Takeshi, but as she did so, she collapsed on her knees. "I…" Her lip quivered as she tried to force her words out. "I… Yes, I'm a girl."

Takeshi's stern expression did not change. "Stand up!" She stood up immediately, but lowered her head to avoid eye contact. "Get Crecelia out right now."

"Y-yes, sir…" Hikari gathered her palms as a small light shined inside. She opened them up to reveal a mini Crecelia. "Takeshi-Sensei needed you."

Crecelia turned to face Takeshi. _"I've become one with her, knowing that she was really a girl."_ She gave him a small smirk. _"If you thought that Pokémon was only able to bond with male villagers, you're wrong."_

"Lucky, come out." A large light shined beside Takeshi. The pink-bodied Pokémon, Lucky, appeared with a concerned expression on her face. "Take Crecelia to your world and talk to her. I need to talk to Hikaru – no, I mean Hikari – privately."

"_Alright. Don't be too harsh though, okay?"_ Lucky walked over to Crecelia and took her paws. _"Come with me, Crecelia. I promise this won't take too long."_

"_Liar,"_ Crecelia hissed. Before she was taken, she stared at Takeshi. _"Let me just say one thing… Hikari-Chan and I have don't have any regrets."_ With that, Lucky and she vanished into thin air.

"Is it true?" Takeshi asked. "You two formed a pact, knowing that you'll be revealed someday?"

Hikari nodded. "Yes, it's all true. But I didn't expect to be revealed this shortly." She bit her lower lip and looked back up. There was fire in her ocean blue eyes. "I apologize for my rude behavior, Takeshi-Sensei, but do not expect me to quit Tobari Shinobi Academy and never return."

"Quit Tobari Shinobi Academy…?" he muttered. "What were you thinking when you decided to enter here?" He pointed to Hikari. "This type of offense can mostly likely get you executed!"

She already knew that. It was inevitable that she was going to live a dangerous life the moment she bonded with Crecelia. "Yes, I'm aware."

~.~.~

_**Meanwhile…**_

"Don't you think it's strange, Shinji?" Satoshi asked. He was pacing around his dorm room, muttering to himself and talking to Shinji once in a while. "I mean… I'm Takeshi's closest friend, yet he wouldn't even let _me_ visit Hikaru!"

Shinji cocked a brow, certain that Satoshi had gone nuts again. "What are you talking about?"

"Aren't you curious to know what happened to Hikaru?"

The purple-haired prince rolled his eyes and left Satoshi's dorm room to his. But he was slightly concerned. Why wouldn't Takeshi let even Satoshi, his closest friend, check up on Hikaru?

"I just know it…" Satoshi muttered again. "I know that blue boy is hiding a deep dark secret…"

If one looked closer, they would've seen a determined and devious expression on his friend's face.

~.~.~

Takeshi crossed his arms. "How can you say that you are with such a straight face?"

"Because…" Hikari refused to break eye contact. "Because, like Crecelia said, I don't have any regrets."

"Let me ask you one thing."

Hikari was ready for any questions she was going to be asked.

Takeshi asked without hesitation. "Why are you doing this?"

She slightly smiled, a bit of sadness overcoming her eyes. "My mother owns a café business at my village, even though we're poor; her body is weak." She shook the feelings away. "Plus, my father had passed away a few years ago." Hikari finally broke eye contact and gazed at another direction. "I'm the breadwinner of my family."

"Do you even have a twin brother at all?"

Hikari hesitated, but she shook her head. "No, I don't have a twin brother. All these years, I've created an illusion to everyone that I had a twin brother – when really, I was the twin brother himself." She shook her head again. "I was the one who decided to do this. Being a girl was troublesome because I was looked down upon. I was never able to protect my mother."

Takeshi sighed from sympathy, but that didn't mean his anger was washed away. "But you still disobeyed the laws and committed a serious crime. You will not be able to avoid your punishment after this."

She exhaled, lowering her head. This was inevitable, but she didn't want to leave yet. Her mother was also going to be left alone… She wasn't worried too much about herself, but her mother instead. Her mother had a weak body… What would happen if she got word that her own beloved daughter was executed because her identity was revealed?

It was unthinkable to her. _I… I… No, no, this is… this is all wrong! It's too soon!_

"You will wait for your punishment to be decided," Takeshi commanded. "You must absolutely not let anyone know about your identity. That is the only way not to make things even worse for you."

Hikari was horrified as she realized what she has done. _It's… not Crecelia's fault… It's mine…_ She bit her lower lip. "Yes, sir."

"Now go." He sent her out of the medical center and closed the door shut.

The blunette walked to her dorm room with a devastated daze. Some of her friends – not the medics – gathered around her to ask if she was okay. She gave them the best reassuring smile she could and nodded. They went away by the time she reached her room.

As soon as she closed the door behind her, she collapsed and hugged her knees. She didn't _dare_ let even one tear spill. That was a sign of regret to her. If she cried, she'd be regretting everything she's done until now.

Sure, her mother owned a café, but her mother didn't have the time to buy any medicine or take care of herself. Plus, she was the hard worker there. She earned money through other jobs for themselves. Even studying in Tobari Shinobi Academy earned her money.

_Geez… I thought I was ready for the death penalty,_ she thought, _I didn't think it'd be this soon…_ She couldn't even think straight anymore.

However, she didn't notice that Shinji was asleep behind their stacked tables beside the door. (Just how big was the dorm room of the prince anyways?) He woke up from the feel of a devastated aura. He sat up, only to find Hikari in a corner. She was still hugging her legs with her head hiding behind them. Shinji couldn't tell if she was crying or not, but he knew that she wasn't feeling sadness.

"Oi."

Hikari didn't look up. She didn't show a sign of crying. She refused to even answer her senpai, a prince!

That got Shinji even more concerned. He felt a change in her aura. He felt devastation and so many conflicting emotions! Shinji knew that there was something extremely wrong. He walked over to her and squatted in front of her. "Look at me, Hikaru." No reply.

"Go away." Her tone was dripping with venom. "I don't want to see or talk to anyone." But she changed her mind and stood up quickly to leave. She hid her face as much as she could.

Shinji hurriedly stopped her. "No, you stay, I'll go." He disappeared in his own shadow and went away.

Hikari breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry, Shinji-Senpai…" She finally looked up from her legs and let her body straighten itself. "I don't know what to do…"

~.~.~

Meanwhile, Kouhei was walking with Shigeru and Takuto on their way to the practice grounds.

"I think you went a little too far, Kouhei," Shigeru murmured. "You nearly killed that boy!"

Kouhei pushed his glasses up and glared at the latter. "Oh? Are you actually criticizing my actions?"

Shigeru gritted his teeth and looked at another direction. "No, I'm not. I'm just saying that you could've been expelled." His jaw tightened as he saw Kouhei smirk at him.

But right when Kouhei took a step, a stream of black rings struck the pillar beside him. It left a deep cut inside the wooden pillar. The strike had missed him by a centimeter!

Takuto and Shigeru gaped at the attack. Kouhei was taken aback. They looked to the direction of where it came from. They found Shinji approaching them with a deadly glare on his face.

"So… how does it feel?"

Kouhei didn't even wince. He readjusted his glasses and stared back at Shinji. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Do you really enjoy making everyone cower in fear of your power?" Shinji sheathed his katana. "This is how it feels when you play with someone's life." He poked Kouhei's chest with every syllable. "Remember this feeling. If you don't," he paused to pat Kouhei's chest, where his heart was, "I'll make sure that the feelings goes through to you here."

With that, he disappeared within the shadows once again.

Shigeru and Takuto sweatdropped when they saw Kouhei grit his teeth and clench his hand into a fist.

~.~.~

Takeshi was looking through Hikari's records to find any information. What he found was very shocking. In her records, it said that her father had sacrificed himself to prevent an all-out bloody war. He had used his power and died protecting the Murasaki Legacy. It was because of him that the regions had stopped the war.

Hikari's father was Aikawa Katsumi Celebi.

"Celebi…?" he exclaimed. _That girls' father… was _the_ Celebi?_ he thought. Before he could continue his thoughts, he heard a small crash in his office. "Who's there?" Takeshi looked throughout his office, trying to find where the crash came from.

It wasn't long when he found Satoshi desperately trying to fix what he just crushed. It was simply a bowl used to contain crushed herbs.

Takeshi sighed, shaking his head. "Satoshi, what are you doing here?"

Satoshi laughed nervously. "Sorry, Takeshi." He was hiding something behind his back. Yes, he was making things too obvious.

"Alright, hand it over."

"What are you talking about?" Satoshi smiled as if nothing was wrong.

The doctor gave him a serious look. "You know that looking through school medical records is strictly off-limits." He crossed his arms. "Now hand them over."

Satoshi pouted and handed Takeshi Hikari's medical records. "Geez, you're mean, Takeshi…"

"It can't be helped," Takeshi replied. "Even you should know that students can't look at these. What were you looking for anyways?"

"Why isn't there anything recorded on Hikaru's medical records?" Satoshi asked. "Surely you would've at least written down a diagnosis, right?"

Takeshi knew where Satoshi was leading on. "Yes, but I didn't put them in his medical records yet." He sighed once again. "I think you should leave or you'll be severely punished." He threw the curious boy out of his office and went back to his paperwork.

_Aikawa Katsumi Celebi… Aikawa Ayako… Aikawa Hikaru – no – Hikari Crecelia…_

~.~.~

Jun was searching in the practice grounds. There, he found Kouhei training with Takuto. He stormed in their practice session and grabbed Kouhei by the collar. The blonde pulled the Elite close to his face, where a frightening look was gleaming on his face.

"Listen, you four-eyed bastard. I don't care if you're an Elite student or not," Jun hissed. "You nearly killed my best friend, and I will _never_ forgive you for that." He gripped onto his collar tighter. "If you ever attempt to kill or make my best friend beyond scared, I will shoot my arrow where I can end your good-for-nothing life."

Kouhei didn't seem to be affected by his threat. "Tch, you too?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure Shinji said the same thing as me before." Jun slightly loosened his grip, but he wasn't going to let Kouhei get away just yet. "Of course, the only way I can humiliate you even more is when my team beats yours. Just like what Hikaru told you before… We'll defeat you in the Yumi・Katana Competition." He gave Kouhei his best smug smirk ever. "Just you wait…"

Takuto only watched in amusement. It wasn't because Jun declared that his team was going to win. It was because he wanted to see how far Jun's team was going to progress to defeat them. _Oh, this will become interesting…_

"I'm never going to give up to any scheme or dirty trick you throw at us." Jun gritted his teeth. "The same goes for Hikaru and Shinji, too."

Jun shoved Kouhei back and left with an extremely pissed off look on his face.

Dialga, in his mini form, appeared beside Jun and rested on his shoulder. _"Jun-Kun, I hope you thought your words through. Something tells me that that boy won't let you get away with everything you said."_

"That's obvious, Dialga," Jun replied. "But I meant everything I said." He walked out of the practice grounds to the medical center. "I wonder if Hikaru was already discharged…"

~.~.~

Crecelia desperately flew to the dorm room to find Hikari. When she entered the room, she found Hikari aloofly leaning against the wall. She was hugging her knees again, digging her head into her legs.

"_Hikari-Chan, I… I…"_

Hikari looked up to find her Pokémon partner. "Oh, you're back, Crecelia." She noticed that Crecelia was trembling. "Come on, it's not your fault. I'm pretty sure it's all mine… I've always wanted to come and study here, even though I was a girl, after all."

"_But this is too early!"_ Crecelia exclaimed. _"You shouldn't die just yet! Just ask Takeshi-Sensei for another chance!"_ She glided in the air back and forth. All she was able to do was think of something. _"I asked Lucky to give me another chance as well. It took a while but she agreed. It should be the same with Takeshi-Sensei too!"_

"Crecelia…"

"_Please, just go ask him right now!"_

"Crecelia!" Hikari screamed. "Stop it! We were ready to take this, right?" She gritted her teeth, her hands forming a fist. "Yes, it's early… but it can't be helped. I've committed a huge crime and the only way to atone for it is to die." She sighed and dug her head in her legs once more. "Takeshi-Sensei told me to wait for his decision."

"_But…"_

Hikari gave her a smile. "No need to worry, Crecelia." She took a deep breath. "I'm sure he'll understand if I explain to him. But for now… I need to think."

Time passed by and dusk had already fallen. Hikari refused to even eat dinner. Jun insisted that he'll stay with her, but she insisted back that he should eat dinner.

Eventually, Jun went to the dining room to eat dinner. "I'll bring something to eat for you, okay?"

As soon as the blonde left, Shinji entered the room via the shadows. "Alright, what's up?"

"Shinji… Senpai…"

"Ever since you got back from the medical center, you refused to do anything but sit there." He crossed his arms as he waited for Hikari to respond. "You practically didn't even move from that spot!" Shinji thought it was strange. It's not like Takeshi told Hikari that he couldn't do kendo anymore, right?

"It's nothing big to worry about, senpai…" Hikari reassured. "I… I just need to think…"

Shinji sighed. "So what you're saying is that you've been thinking about one thing this whole day?" He shook his head. "You know I'm not going to buy that." He shifted his position into a more comfortable one. "Did Takeshi-Sensei tell you that you can't participate in the competition?"

Hikari shook her head. "Of course not! He said that I'm in perfect health to participate!" Lie. "It's not like what Kouhei-Senpai did threatened my life or anything." Lie. "I'm fine. I just have a lot to think about." Lie.

They were all lies. She was in perfect health, but she wouldn't be able to participate because of her gender. Kouhei may have attempted to cut off her head, but what he did pushed her life to be threatened. She didn't have a lot of think about at all. She only thought of her gruesome punishment.

The prince didn't buy it, but he was sure that she didn't want to talk about it yet. He sensed that she was desperate to be alone anyways. However, he wasn't going to let her be.

"If you're worried about Kouhei, I gave him a little warning," he murmured.

"It's not about that, but thank you for trying." Hikari took a deep breath and tried to change the subject. "Shinji-Senpai, you _will_ attend the Yumi・Katana Competition, right?"

Shinji shrugged. "Maybe…" He shut his eyes for a moment and looked out the door. "I can't promise anything."

"Senpai, you better attend it or I won't forgive you," Hikari chuckled. "You know how much that challenge means to us, right? If you don't attend with us, we won't be able to compete with Kouhei-Senpai's group."

"I don't think you should call him 'senpai'…" he muttered. "He doesn't deserve that title… that arrogant, self-centered nerd…"

Hikari giggled. "Senpai, you really do care about us, don't you?" She felt a little better talking to Shinji. It's as if her thoughts have lightened up.

Shinji rolled his eyes. "Hmph." He stared at the nearly full moon. _You're hiding something we shouldn't know of,_ he thought. _What… exactly are you hiding that you're this desperate to be alone?_

~.~.~

The next morning, Shinji finished his breakfast earlier than everyone (except Hikari, who woke up very early to eat alone). Once he finished cleaning his bowls, he headed to their dorm room.

Shinji slammed the door open. He stormed into the room and grabbed Hikari's wrist. "We are going to the training grounds _now_." He dragged Hikari out of their dorm room and led him to the kendo grounds.

"_What is wrong with you?"_ Crecelia shouted. _"Can't you see that she's in a cri-?"_

Hikari stopped Crecelia by trapping the Pokémon in her hands. She sweatdropped at Shinji's serious attitude "What do you need, Senpai…?"

The prince pointed at her katana. "Whether I'm wrong about Kouhei or not, I still need to train you." He crossed his arms. "Are you ready?" Shinji pointed to a very thick and tall bamboo ahead. "I want you to slice every end you see on that bamboo! Slice it from the top!"

"Eh…?" She looked up, figuring that there must've been at least fifty ends of it! But she had to try or she won't get anywhere. If she didn't get anywhere, she won't be able to defeat Kouhei. "Alright…"

She unsheathed her katana and charged towards the bamboo. She used the plant as a boost to get to the top. Once she did, she sliced the end of the top. The top fell off easily. Hikari continued to slice it end by end. But as she progressed to the ground, it became more and more difficult to cut them. When the bamboo was about her height, she started to take longer in slicing it.

Shinji noticed how hesitant she was when she tried to slice the bamboo now. He knew why. She was recalling that moment when Kouhei tried to cut her neck.

Hikari was scared.

"Keep going!" he commanded.

The blunette attempted to cut the end, but failed again. This time, her hesitance caused her to fall as the blade hit the bamboo. The katana was released from her hands and gave her a long cut on her cheek! "Ow!" She landed on her back, gritting her teeth from frustration. Apparently, her patience had also snapped.

"That's it… I give up!" Hikari exclaimed. She sheathed her katana. "I can't do this, Senpai. I really can't!"

Shinji narrowed his eyes. "You began to misplace your hands on your hilt as you went down! Stop acting like this is going to kill you."

Jun then cut in. "Stop it, Shinji!" He grabbed Hikari's arm.

"Hey, what are you-?" Hikari was interrupted.

"Hikaru nearly got killed with a blade! Can't you see he's scared?" However, when Jun was about to get Hikari out of the practice grounds, Shinji held her back.

"If he's scared to hold his own katana, he'll never be able to compete against that Kouhei with the same determination he had before," Shinji replied. "Even you know that, Jun… You should know how determined he was when he challenged that bastard and his team."

Jun didn't want to admit it, but Shinji was right. The two released Hikari's arm.

"Alright, you know what…?" Hikari muttered. "That's it!" She pointed at Jun. "Look, Jun. It may seem like I'm scared, but that doesn't mean I'm still willing to try overcoming my fear! Stop trying to stop what I want to try!" She then pointed at Shinji. "And you don't need to do anything for me, Shinji-Senpai. I am fine handling my own issues! You might think it's easy, but for me… I need more than just luck."

With that, Hikari stormed out of the practice grounds. Shinji and Jun were alone, thinking about Hikari's words.

What was it about "_him"_ that made those two worry so much?

~.~.~

"I've had enough…" Kouhei slammed his hands on the table. "If those three are that determined to defeat me, let them try." He smirked and pushed his glasses up. "Let's just see if they'll be able to hang on."

Shigeru sweatdropped, knowing that Kouhei was planning something devious. It was his first time seeing the usual calm Elite student on the verge of anger. _What are you planning?_

Takuto simply watched. He had seen many lose their cool because of Shinji, but to see Kouhei lose his because of a junior? He was amused.

Harley, who was sitting there quietly, rolled his eyes. He was also one of Kouhei's… 'lackeys'. However, he was known for his ability to ruin many things. He was always doing the dirty work for Kouhei… and enjoyed it. "Well, this has gotten interesting. The Elite Kouhei is angry because of a whole team challenging him."

"Shut it, Harley…" Kouhei muttered. "This can all be settled at the Yumi・Katana Competition…" He chuckled to himself. "We'll just have to watch them from far away… and see their progress…"

~.~.~

Kasumi, Haruka, Leaf, and Nozomi came back with their baskets full of berries and herbs. At first they suspected nothing, but when Takeshi was give them disappointed looks, they knew something was up.

"Takeshi… Sensei…?" Haruka trailed off. "Is something wrong?"

"I already know your secret, you four," Takeshi stated. "Is that why you've been treating only Hikaru – no – Hikari away from me every time _she_ was here?" He crossed his arms, sighing.

The girls' eyes widened.

"D-does that mean… Hikari will be executed?" Leaf exclaimed.

"What?"

"No way…!"

"Takeshi-Sensei, please don't let Hikari be executed!"

The doctor didn't let their pleas get to him. "You knew all along and you even supported the girl!" He shook his head. "You know that that is a high crime! Prince Reiji may be a kind young man, but even he knows the rules and can be strict with them!"

The four lowered their heads. "We…"

"We have no regrets," Nozomi finished. "You know what? I'm actually glad that I helped her out!"

Takeshi was taken aback. "Why?"

Haruka nodded in agreement. "That's right! That's right! We actually understand her reason! She just won't tell you why!"

Kasumi scratched her head. "You see, Takeshi… We want to tell you her reason, but…" she paused, "I think it's best for her to tell you herself."

"Her reason is because she's the breadwinner of her family," Takeshi replied. "She's told me her reason already."

Nozomi gritted her teeth. "You're wrong, Takeshi-Sensei!" she protested. "That's only half her reason! Sure, she may have entered for her family's sake, but the other half is something else!"

Takeshi slightly sweatdropped. "Other half?" But he wouldn't let it change his decision process. "So what are you telling me to do?"

"Give her three days, Takeshi," Kasumi calmly pleaded. "Let her come to you and tell you the other half of her reason. If she doesn't…" She hesitated, not wanting to say this. "You can decide whether you should tell Prince Reiji or not."

The three girls gaped at the carrot-top. "But, Kasumi…!"

"Enough, you three…" she murmured. "I hate to admit it as much you girls do, but… what choice do we have?" She shook her head. "C'mon, we became medics with the same goal as Hikari. Even we wouldn't be forgiven if we did what Hikari did."

Takeshi sighed. "Are you serious about this, you four? Are you sure that Hikaru, I mean, Hikari has another reason?"

The four medics nodded frantically. "Yes!"

The doctor crossed his arms. "I'll think about it." He looked at their baskets full of berries and herbs. "Anyways, why don't you sort those out? I also have new medicines I need you to make."

~.~.~

Hikari ran and ran until she was out of breath. Her mind was blank, causing her to run aimlessly.

She was in the forest near Tobari Academy. Leaning on a tree to catch her breath, she processed her surroundings and realized where she ended up. "Well… This is better than facing more difficulties…" Hikari slid down the tree. "It's so quiet and calm here…" she whispered.

Crecelia appeared on Hikari's knees, looking guiltier as ever. _"Hikari-Chan… I'm sorry."_ She sighed, the sound of sad chiming following up with it. _"This is my fault. I shouldn't have put your life in danger like this."_

"It's not your fault, Crecelia," Hikari insisted. "We were ready for this, weren't we?"

"_I've bonded with you, Hikari-Chan,"_ Crecelia interrupted, _"I can sense what your heart, your feelings, and your thoughts."_ Her magenta eyes grew very sad. _"I know that you're not regretting it, but I'm aware that it's too soon."_ She turned her gaze to something else. _"I'm sure Takeshi-Sensei will decide that you shouldn't deserve death."_

Hikari gave her companion a weak smile. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Crecelia." Her smile turned into a sad frown. "But I'm sure you know that even Takeshi-Sensei can be strict."

Crecelia shook her head. _"I'm not trying to cheer you up,"_ she protested. _"I'm reassuring you, that's what I'm doing. There's something inside you that you want to reach. You haven't even reached your full potential yet."_

The blunette was silent, her blue eyes going empty once again. "My… full potential… huh?" She weakly chuckled. "If that's so, then I'd be wasting it by giving in, huh?"

"_Oh Arceus, snap out of it, please!"_ Crecelia pleaded.

"Alright, what's wrong with you?" A familiar voice asked. "You've been acting strange since two days ago. What's going on?"

Hikari looked up to find Shinji. He had followed her and wanted answers _now_. Her eyes widened as she realized that Shinji might've heard everything they said. "Sh-Shinji-Senpai… D-did you hear everything we said?"

Shinji raised a brow. "I didn't." He sat next to her, thinking of what to say. "Your aura…" he began, "You've been feeling devastated this whole time, weren't you?" He glanced at her. "What's going on with you? Did something happen at Takeshi-Sensei's office?"

The blunette couldn't tell the truth. If she did, it was going to be an immediate death penalty.

"I… um…" She hesitated. "I'm sorry, Senpai… I can't tell you."

Darkrai appeared from a shadow and gestured Crecelia to follow him. _I'm sure she'll be okay, Crecelia. Let her be,_ he said through telepathy.

Crecelia sighed and left Hikari's shoulder. _I know… I'm just worried…_ With that, they left Shinji and Hikari to be alone.

Shinji continued to glance at her time to time. Hikari still wouldn't say anything. He groaned. "If you don't want to talk about it, you don't need to." She dug her head in her knees again, refusing to talk to her senpai once again. Shinji called out her name. "Hikaru." No reply. "Hikaru." No response. "Okay, that's it." He grabbed her wrists and pinned them against the tree, revealing Hikari's face. "I said, look-!"

Hikari was gazing at another direction. Her eyes were completely empty, as if there was no life in them. He then realized that she's been suppressing her emotions all this time.

"Stop holding them all in!" he exclaimed.

As he said that, her eyes were filled with all the emotions she had bottled up inside. Tears had surfaced to her eyes. It was too late for her to suppress them again.

She cried. Tears of overwhelming emotions flowed down her cheeks as she released them all. She felt devastated, frustrated, angry, and more.

Although it was awkward to watch a _boy_ cry, he knew that it was natural for someone like Hikari – err… Hikaru. He's been suppressing all these negative feelings inside him for so long after all. Plus, he looked in Hikaru's history records with Reiji. His father had passed away, so it was just him, his twin sister (Hikari), and his mother.

Her mother was weak and their café business was poor. But it was quite famous for the family-like atmosphere.

Hikaru was the breadwinner of his family.

Hikari never revealed her true feelings, thus bottling them up inside her.

He had to and earned money for his family.

She had to protect and help her mother.

The twin sister, Hikari, was helping their mother through the tough times.

Hikari was and is the twin sister… and the twin brother.

Shinji exhaled in relief and a bit of awkwardness as he watched Hikari release all her bottled emotions. "Feeling better now?" He sat next to her again, relaxing now. Even though her crying was a little loud, he was relieved to feel her negative aura disappear. "Look, if you're bothered by a certain issue, don't give up."

She tried to stop sobbing. "W-w-what?"

"Don't give up." Shinji stared at the deep blue sky. "You said you needed more than luck, didn't you?" He smirked. "I don't think so. All you need is a boost to your motivation."

Hikari realized what he was saying.

"I think you can accomplish that, now that you let all your feelings out."

Her eyes widened. "Shinji-Senpai…" The blue eyes that were empty a few minutes ago became lively and shining once again. She smiled gratefully, a small blush coating her cheeks. "Thank you, Senpai." They stood up to go back to the academy.

Shinji pushed her ahead. "You have to face that issue you were worrying about, right?" He gestured her to go. "I'll be here for a while."

Hikari grinned and nodded. She turned her head to give Shinji a thankful comment. "You're a really kind person, senpai." She disappeared before Shinji could even say protest.

"Tch, troublesome idiot…"

~.~.~

Takeshi was thinking about what his medics told him earlier. Should he really give Hikari a chance to tell him the other half of her reason? What if they were just trying to help Hikari? No, that's impossible. He would've noticed the change in their auras.

He pursed his lips, as he thought really hard about their request.

_Three days, huh?_ The doctor rubbed the back of his head. "Even though it'll be risky, maybe I should give her three days…" He gazed out the window nearby. "I wonder where that girl is…?"

However, he didn't need to wait. As if on cue, Hikari burst into his office. "Takeshi-Sensei!"

Takeshi jumped from his seat from surprise. "O-oh! Hikaru… I mean… Hikari…"

Hikari panted to catch her breath. "I won't leave Tobari Shinobi Academy, and you can't do anything about it, Sensei." She gave him a determined look. "You see, I haven't told you the other half of my reason."

He raised a brow. "Other half?" He became interested. If his medics and Hikari said that her reason has another half, he wanted to know.

"I wanted to learn. I've always wanted to learn here," she answered. "Prince Reiji had said this in one of our weapon lessons: Learning is for everyone. If it's for everyone, isn't it the same for girls too?"

Takeshi shook his head. "You can learn even outside Tobari Shinobi Academy. This place is not suitable for a 10-year-old girl like you."

Tears threatened to surface, but she held them back. "Is it because girls and boys are different?" Takeshi gave her a silent nod. "What if I proved that they're not different? What if I proved that a girl like me can even survive in this academy? Girl and boys can be equals too!"

He was silent, listening to her questions with his most sincere attention.

"I want to question everything around me. I want to learn how to fight. I want to learn what the sensei here can teach me. I want to _know_ things!" She got on her knees. "Please, Takeshi-Sensei… Please give me another chance."

"Why should I?" he asked. His tone wasn't coating with distaste, but curiosity.

"For once, I was able to ask questions about everything. For once, I learned how to fight to protect others. For once, I met new friends who recognize my talents. They even took my side and protected me when I was in danger."

Takeshi was surprised. He didn't think her other half of the reason was this strong. "Is that all?"

Hikari nodded. "Yes, sir…" She gave him one meaningful look. "Can you give a chance to a girl like me? Give me a chance to believe. Give me a chance to dream of the academy I want to believe in."

Silence ensued as Takeshi considered her request. "Are you that serious about being here?"

"Yes, sir!"

He nodded slowly, still thinking. She must be very determined to have one more chance. He was able to see the fire of determination and motivation in her eyes.

"Fine." Takeshi crossed his arms. "Also, how about a deal? If your team is Top 1 of the Yumi・Katana Competition, I'll let you stay. However, if you fail to do so, your punishment will be severe. Your mother's business will be shut down and you will be put to death, do you understand?"

"Deal, Sensei! I promise to come out on top with my team!"

Takeshi felt a small smile on his lips. "I also have to warn you that no one must find out your true identity. That's the only you can save yourself and your mother." He sent her out of his office and closed the door behind him. _That girl… She better know what she's doing…_

Hikari stepped outside and into the sunlight. It was as if the light washed her previous worries away. Even though her heart wasn't light, she had new hope and determination to go through.

She found Shinji and Jun in their dorm room. "Shinji-Senpai!"

Jun looked up with a slightly bewildered look on his face. Shinji was wearing a smirk. "What do you need now?"

"I need a miracle," she replied, "A miracle to defeat Kouhei-Senpai in the Yumi・Katana Competition."

The two stared at Hikari and to each other. They both smirked and gave Hikari a nod. "We had a feeling you'd say that. Alright, let's do this!" Jun exclaimed.

"But I have one thing to say, Hikaru," Shinji muttered. "Stop calling Kouhei with that honorific. He doesn't deserve it at all."

The three all smiled and laughed at that remark.

~.~.~

_A/N: Again, I decided to use the Japanese Trademark names for the Pokémon, if you haven't read my note in Chapter 3 __**AND**__ the beginning note. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this. All I can say right now is that the Yumi__・__Katana Competition is nearing. :3 Let's see what happens before the competition is here._

_**Questions**_

_Did you read my note at the beginning?  
What do you think is going on in Satoshi's head right now?  
Do you still want to guess who the Dream Messenger wants to be?  
How will Hikari get through the competition?  
Where do you think Jun was this whole time? xDDDD_


	6. Another Message

_A/N: Hi, guys! Sorry for the late update. Since Hana and I had finals, I updated very late. But that's no excuse, is it? *shot*_

_Happy Birthday, Rosie the Rocker! :]_

_Note: Urara/Ursula_

**Tobari Shinobi: Shinou Scandal****  
CH ****6****:**** Another Message **

It was early in the morning. There were traces of sunlight peeking out of the horizon. However, there was no time for gazing at its beauty for our trio.

"Again!"

Hikari attempted to slice the thick tree branch, but failed to do so… _after the 59__th__ time._ "Shinji-Senpai, this is crazy! There's no way I can slice off a…" she paused to look at the branch, "… a branch that'd probably fit ten of me in a circle!"

Shinji shook his head. He stepped in front of Hikari, unsheathing his katana. "Watch." He charged towards the branch, leapt up, and landed in a flash with the blade close to his cheek. In an instant, the branch was sliced off the tree. It crashed on the ground.

"… Oh my…" Her jaw hung open. "… Arceus…"

"Exactly." Shinji sheathed his sword. "Now, slice off the one on the opposite side."

"Senpai, I can't slice it off," Hikari admitted. "I need help training. I want training."

Shinji smirked. "Now that's what I'm talking about. It's about time you said it."

Hikari puffed her cheeks. "Geez, stop teasing me, Senpai!" They headed towards the forest to train.

Jun was also doing some training himself. He was at the archery grounds, shooting all the arrows he had. It was good progress so far. He smirked to himself. "I'm lucky that dad was an archer when he attended here!" He had five arrows. Four arrows but one hit the bulls-eye. "But it's not good enough yet!" He collected his arrows and tried again.

~.~.~

Nozomi woke up, rubbing her eyes. Her half-closed eyes scanned the room of her and her medic teammates. She looked out the window, where she saw a small speck of the sun. "It's this early?" She suppressed a yawn, getting up.

She looked outside the window, finding Hikari training with Shinji. "Oh boy… She must be serious…"

Just then, Kasumi yawned. "Nozomi? What are you doing up so early?"

The redhead glanced at the carrot top. "Oh, Kasumi. I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, no, it's fine. It's good to wake up early once in a while." Kasumi stretched the sleepiness away. "So what are you looking at?" She followed Nozomi's eyes to Hikari and Shinji. "Ah, I see." They both watched Hikari being trained by Shinji. "…"

Their eyes widened. "Oh my Arceus… That is…"

"… Torture."

Haruka and Leaf then popped out of nowhere. "We know she's training hard and all, but don't you think she deserves a girl's day out for once?"

Kasumi and Nozomi turned to the two brunettes, unaffected by their sudden presence. "Yeah, I think she's been stressed enough." The girls all gave each other a smile. "Why don't we give her the best girl day ever today?"

"Yeah!" They high-fived each other.

~.~.~

It's been three hours since Hikari and Shinji started training. It was time for breakfast so they went back to the academy to eat. Unfortunately, Hikari collapsed from exhaustion.

"Senpai…" she panted, "I really can't walk anymore."

Shinji smirked, slightly amused at the sight of the helpless Hikari. "Yeah, I know." He walked over to her and took her on his back. "That was enough training for the morning."

"Enough training for the morning?" Hikari drawled. "Are you kidding me? That was the most torturous training ever!"

He rolled his eyes smugly. "Well, I'm sure breakfast will replenish your energy." He jumped from a tree and on a rooftop. "Oh, if you have any plans today, notify me."

Hikari raised a brow. "Why should I?"

"So I won't punish you for making me wait while you're having fun somewhere."

"Yes, sir!" she squeaked.

They arrived to the dining room and found some people there already. One of those people were Satoshi, who was wolfing down his breakfast. "Hm, Jun's not here yet. He must be training right now." Shinji set down Hikari in front of a table, which already had warm food placed on it. "Eat. I'll go find that guy."

Hikari nodded and started eating her food. "Itadakimasu." It replenished her right on the spot. After a few more minutes of eating, Shinji came in with a protesting Jun. She stared at them with an amused smile.

"I said I don't want to!" Jun exclaimed. "Geez… I'm not hungry yet!"

"That's not what your stomach said when I mentioned breakfast."

On cue, Jun's stomach growled loudly. He fumed at how Shinji was right once again. "Itadakimasu." He grabbed the bowl of rice and started eatin. "My stomach was doing fine until you came, Shinji!"

Shinji sat down next to Hikari and started eating too. "Whatever. You'll need the energy when you train again."

Hikari drank all of her soup and let out a satisfied sigh. "Ah, that was good… Gochisousama*." She put the dishes and utensils in a huge bowl of soapy water. "Senpai, I'll be walking around campus for a while." When Shinji gave her a suspicious look, she rolled her eyes. "I'm not running away, trust me." Then, off she went.

"Ah, there he is!" a voice exclaimed. "Hikaru!"

Hikari turned to see none other than Nozomi. "Ah, Nozomi! What's up?"

Nozomi smiled, gesturing Hikari to come closer. "How would you like to have a girl's day out today?" she whispered. The beaming look on Hikari's face definitely told the redhead that she wanted one. "I thought so! Why don't you tell Shinji-San and Jun-Kun that you'll be out today?"

"Of course!" She immediately rushed towards the dining room. "Senpai!" When Shinji turned to her, she calmed down and gave them a small smile. "I can't train today. My twin sister came to Tobari Village to hang with her friends, so I'll be visiting her today. Is that okay?"

Shinji shrugged. "Whatever makes you happy." He picked up his bowl again until he realized what Hikari just said. "Wait, your twin sister's in Tobari Village?"

Jun suddenly stood up. "Hikari's here? Seriously?" He grabbed Hikari and shook her by the shoulders. "Where is she? I wanna see her too!"

Hikari pushed Jun away by the forehead. "No, Jun. There's also… a bit of a private matter between her and me. I don't think you'd want to get involved."

"Oh… Is it… that…?"

She nodded. "Yeah… You know what I mean, right?" Jun understood and went back to eating. "Well, I'll be off!" She closed the door behind her and went to her dorm. "Crecelia, come out."

Crecelia appeared in a small flash of light. _"You finally get to have a break, huh?"_ The Pokémon giggled as Hikari excitedly nodded. _"Somehow, I'm excited too. I can be away from Darkrai for once."_

Hikari grinned, excited for her day. "I think I'll just wear that black shirt and pink dress." She quickly changed to her girl clothes, let her hair down, put golden triangular clips in her hair, and rushed out of the room together in a _flash_ – literally. She met the girls near a sweets shop. "Hey!"

Haruka pounced on Hikari. "Yay, you actually get to hang out with us!" She then looked at the actual person of Hikari. "Huh, it really does feel like I'm meeting Hikaru's twin now."

Kasumi approached the two, smiling. "We thought you deserve a good break from all that training and whatnot."

"It was all Leaf's idea, really," Nozomi laughed.

Leaf shrugged, sticking out her tongue. "Meh, what can I say? I thought Shinji-Kun tortured you enough."

"Well, let's go, shall we?" Haruka announced. "Let's begin our first Girl's Day Out with Hikari!" The girls cheered and headed to the clothing district.

~.~.~

Jun threw his head back with a loud groan. "Geez, it's no fun without Hikaru here. Plus, Hikari's here too!" Suddenly, a light bulb lit up in his head. "Oh, I know! We should…!" But the light bulb was crushed by Shinji.

"You are not going to spy on them."

"How did you know I was thinking that?"

Shinji rolled his eyes, leaning against the wall. "It's pretty obvious, blondie." He sank into his own shadow. "Well, I gotta stop by somewhere. See ya."

"Hey, wait!" Jun protested, but it was too late. Shinji already disappeared along with his shadow. "Argh! What am I supposed to do while both of you are gone now?" He blew a few hair strands away. "Bah, forget you guys. I'm gonna go train." He grabbed his bow and arrows and went to the training grounds.

While Jun left to the training grounds, Shinji went to the village.

Who knew what was going on his mind…?

Maybe except Darkrai, who sighed heavily.

~.~.~

"Hikari, take a look at this!" Leaf squealed. She pointed at a necklace with a crescent moon as a charm. "Don't you think it'd look perfect with Hikaru's Crecelia form?"

"Wow, you're right! That looks so pretty!" Hikari agreed. "But I don't think they allow accessories like these to wear."

Kasumi nodded with disappointment. "She's got a point. The rules are pretty strict when it comes to accessories. Hair ties are allowed though."

Nozomi scratched her head. "Hikari, what do you think of Shinji?" She shrugged at Hikari's confusion. "Well, we've seen him train Hikaru really hard and all. Any negative thoughts he might have, by any chance?"

Hikari laughed. "If I was him, I'd probably be murmuring to myself all day saying that's really harsh as a Senpai." She tapped her chin in thought. "But he still tells me that Shinji-San is a kind person and he cares for him and Jun."

Haruka gasped. "No way! Seriously?"

The blunette smiled and shrugged. "Well, that's what Hikaru tells me. If he tells me that, I trust him."

Nozomi snorted in laughter. "I always thought he was a cold-hearted, self-centered prince-in-training."

Hikari raised both brows in surprise. "Well, I can somehow understand that… sorta, but why?"

"When I first became a medic for Tobari Academy, I got lost in that huge campus. The only person I found was Shinji." Nozomi sighed and shook her head disappointedly. "I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to ask him where the medical building was." She bit her lower lip in slight frustration. "He told me to find out myself, in such a rude manner! Seriously, all he could've said was that it was only a few buildings away, but no!"

The girls sweatdropped. They never knew that Nozomi had such an encounter with Shinji. It was no wonder she glared at him once in a while.

"Sorry. Bad memory resurfaced."

They all laughed anyways.

When it was afternoon, the girls went to eat some cool-served dishes. While they waited for their orders, they chatted about boys, clothes, and whatever popped into their heads.

"By the way, Haruka, you know that new guy named Shuu?" Kasumi asked.

Haruka nodded rather… dully. "Yeah, I know him… too well. He's actually the Prince of Houen." Leaf slammed her hands against the table with unbelieving eyes. "That's right. Shuu is actually a prince, assigned to Tobari Academy to practice with his new powers."

"How do you know him so well, though?"

The brunette's blue eyes sparked with irritation. "Let's just say that he teased me a lot back then." She sipped her iced tea, letting the ice cool her down. "He was always giving me roses, saying that they were 'his sincere feelings for me'." She puffed her cheeks in frustration. "I fell for it once, and it ended badly. That's why I try to ignore Shuu whenever I can."

"Ouch… That really struck me in the heart, Haruka…" The girls wheeled around to see none other than the mentioned green-haired student. "I never thought you had that much hatred for me," he gasped sarcastically.

"Shuu, sarcasm is _so_ not your thing."

The boy flicked his green hair, smirking. "I know. I thought I'd give it a try." He then crossed his arms. "And you're still stuck on that incident? It was just a joke."

Haruka's eye twitched. "… A joke that rapidly spread throughout the Shuu fans and caused a mob of Shuu fans to go after me!" Her blue eyes flared angrily. "I couldn't get even a _minute_ – no – a _second_ to myself without being run over by your fans!" Shuu and Haruka continued to argue with each other.

It didn't seem like it was going to end so the girls left the bickering pair with a notice.

"Sheesh, talk about fierce…" Leaf muttered under her breath. "Note to ourselves: NEVER get Haruka angry." The girls agreed and moved on… not until Leaf bumped into an unaware Shigeru. "_Ouch!_" she yelped as she fell on the floor.

Shigeru also fell on the floor and their eyes met. "Hey, what was that fo-? Ah… What's up, Leaf?"

"What's up?" Leaf exclaimed. "Watch where you're going, Shigeru." She got up to dust her skirt off. "Geez, this was a newly bought outfit too!"

"Hey, you weren't looking either. You were too busy talking with your girlfriends, right?" he mocked.

Leaf gritted her teeth. She beckoned Shigeru to come closer. "Why don't you say that to my face, jerk?" When Shigeru did to mock her again, she smirked. She threw her cup of iced tea at him. Leaf suddenly realized what she did. "Oh… crap…"

A vein popped in Shigeru's forehead. "You're coming with me." He snatched Leaf's wrist and dragged her away with him. The three girls stared after them, slightly concerned of Leaf.

Hikari laughed nervously. "Next thing you know, Nozomi and Kasumi are taken away by some boy too." Oh, was she right. Right when they exited a shop, Kengo called out to Nozomi. "I rest my case."

Nozomi looked at Kengo in slight confusion. "Um, Kengo, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be training for the compe-?"

"Okay, never mind that! I just _gotta_ show you something that'll make you laugh like crazy!" Kengo glanced at Kasumi and Hikari. "Oh, you're with friends. Sorry about that. Maybe next time."

Kasumi and Hikari looked at each other. "No, no, it's totally fine. Take Nozomi with you. I'm sure she needs a good laugh after all that shopping, anyways."

"H-huh?" Nozomi stuttered.

"Really? Man, that's great! It's something that she can't absolutely miss! Bye, guys!" Without another word, the two speeded out of the clothing district, leaving the carrot top and blunette in the dust.

Hikari pursed her lips together. "Hmmm…" She looked at Kasumi. "I'm pretty sure you're gonna get taken away by someone too."

Kasumi broke out in laughter. "I'll try not to get taken away. If they do," she paused to take out her mallet, "they get a small gift from me."

"Where did you take out from?" Hikari asked. She suddenly noticed a familiar presence. "Alright… Cue Kasumi's time to get taken away in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1!" And Satoshi flew down from the sky at the exact moment. "Hi, Satoshi-Sen… I mean, Satoshi-San! Are you here to borrow Kasumi for a while?"

Satoshi looked surprised. "What the…? You're Hikaru's twin sister, aren't you? It's nice to meet you! And… how did you know my name?"

"Oh, Hikaru tells me stuff through his telepathy…" she paused, "Well, I prefer that he uses dreams to visit me." Satoshi then looked closer at Hikari. She sweatdropped. "Um… Is there something wrong…?"

Satoshi grinned. "Well, I was thinking that you and Hikaru look really alike!" He gave her a mischievous smirk, nodding his head. "It can't be that you and Hikaru switched places, right?" Before Hikari could even answer, a mallet met his hard head. "Ow! What was that for, Kasu?"

"Hikari and I are shopping here." An irritated aura was surrounding the carrot top. "This better be good, Satoshi Lugia."

"Takeshi told me to tell you that you're needed for some herb checking or something…" Satoshi groaned. "I think you'll give me a bruise in my brain…"

Kasumi smirked. "Yeah… Let's hope that the bruise won't get you any dumber." She glanced at Hikari. "Sorry, Hikari… I'll have to leave you…"

Hikari giggled, shaking her head. "It's fine, Kasumi. You can go. I still haven't explored the whole village yet anyways. I'll make sure to ask Hikaru to take me home."

The carrot top looked at the blunette in concern. "Alright… If you insist…" Kasumi brought out Togekiss and flew back to the academy with Satoshi.

Hikari watched them disappear and slightly giggled. "Ah, this was such an amusing day. Let's see… What else have I not seen here…?" She wandered to different places of the village, enjoying every sight of it.

~.~.~

Shinji wandered around the alleys of the village, looking for a random place to rest. He stopped by an alley near the marketplace and lied down behind some crates.

"Ugh… I can't believe that the new moon is coming already," Shinji sighed. He grunted as he tried to comfortably position himself to sleep. "This is too troublesome for me to handle nowadays…"

Darkrai appeared, his aquamarine eyes looking concerned. _"Shinji, if you know you can't handle this, why do you still choose to stay with me?"_

Shinji smirked, poking his partner's tiny head. "It's a long story, right? I feel that way after all."

"_You still remember that…?"_ Darkrai coughed. _"Hmph, you were the type to get easily touched after all."_

"Not anymore, idiot," he replied, "I left that side of me a long time ago. But I still can't forget what you did, Darkrai." With that, the purple-haired student fell asleep behind the crates. Darkrai slightly chuckled with amusement… and worry. He disappeared into Shinji, taking Shinji's Darkrai Form with him.

"_You deserve some rest."_

It was around sunset and Hikari was looking around in the crowded marketplace. People were here and there, offering trades or just paying for food. There were certainly some unique-looking dishes and ingredients that caught Hikari's eye too.

While she was looking at some expensive-looking foods, someone grabbed her from behind and swiftly dragged her into an alley. A hand covered her mouth from screaming for help. Even so, muffled screams and yelps were sounding out from her.

When Hikari was thrown on the ground, she was faced with a tough-looking thug. "W-what do you want with me?"

"Give me all the money you got, little girl," the thug commanded, "or it won't be pretty if you don't."

"B-but I don't have any money!" she exclaimed. She trembled, but stood up anyways. "I swear I don't! I was just looking at how beautiful that dish looked!"

The thug chuckled with cruelty. "No money, you say?" He grabbed Hikari by the shoulder, squeezing it to the point where it hurt. "There's no way a girl like you would have no money."

Hikari gritted her teeth, shoving the thug away with all her might. She was surprised at her own developed strength.

"Oh, you're going to fight, are you?" The thug grinned with desire… for blood. "Boys, I think we've got ourselves a fighter here." Six thugs had appeared out of nowhere and circled around Hikari.

"You don't want to mess with me, bastards," she suddenly threatened with a cold venomous tone. "I know how to fight."

One of the thugs laughed. "Did you hear that? The little princess just threatened us." The whole gang laughed. "I bet she won't be scared when we try to club her until she gives us money, huh?"

Hikari smirked, shrugging. "I dunno. Try it." But in truth, she was frightened to death. One thug was fine, but more than three was the worst. _How am I going to hold them off…?_ The only way was to use her powers, but a girl using them was still forbidden.

"Ugh, shut up…!" a voice groaned. A radish went flying towards the big thug's head. Suddenly, Shinji popped up from the stacked crates nearby. "I'd like to sleep in peace, you know." He then noticed Hikari, whose eyes went wide. "Hn, trying to threaten a girl for money? Geez, you guys went really low this time."

The big thug grabbed the radish and crushed it into pieces. "Well, well, well… Why… The Darkrai Prince has showed up himself." The gang brushed past Hikari and surrounded Shinji. "Get him, boys!"

A fight broke out. However, Shinji – being the top 1 student of Tobari Academy – dodged and attacked the gang with supreme skills. One ran away and another on the ground, beaten. However, one threw a sharp knife at Shinji. Although he had keen senses, the knife made a cut on his cheek as it whizzed past him.

Blood trickled down his face and he gave the attacker a fierce glare. "Bad mistake…" He dragged a different guy in his hands and grabbed the knife. He threw it at the owner of the knife, striking the wall next to him by a centimeter. Shinji kicked the thug in his hands away and turned to the boss. "Hn, you're not so tough after all."

The boss was already beaten, staring at Shinji with defeated eyes. "Ugh."

Hikari couldn't even believe what happened before her eyes. Did Shinji, the Senpai who she has never seen fight outsiders, just get into a physical fight with thugs? _I knew it,_ she thought, _I knew there was more to him than I thought._ But she actually thought it was pretty cool of him to save her.

Shinji spit some blood out and glanced at Hikari. Their eyes met for a moment before he let out a small sneeze. "You're Hikaru's twin, aren't you?" Hikari nodded. "How'd you end up here?" He started walking down the alley.

"Sh-Shinji-San!" Hikari called. She caught up to him, taking out a handkerchief. "Oh my gosh, you're bleeding!" She attempted to treat his wound but Shinji brushed her away. "B-but, you saved me… This is the least I could do."

Shinji sneezed again. "Okay, you know what? Just go away." He turned, leaving Hikari dumbfounded. _I hate this condition of sneezing when I'm around girls…_

Hikari didn't give up. She ran up to him again, grabbed his hand (Sneeze!), and placed her light blue handkerchief on it. "Please, take it. It's my gift of thanks for saving me and for taking good care of Hikaru."

Unfortunately, Shinji couldn't turn that down. He sighed and took her handkerchief. "Hn." A shadow loomed over them. Shinji rolled his eyes and clapped his hand over Hikari's eyes. "Don't look," he muttered before he clubbed the boss thug on the head. He led Hikari to the entrance of the alley, so she won't see the damages.

She gave him a deep bow. "Thank you very much, Shinji-San."

When she went to walk out of the alley, Shinji called out to her. "Hey, are you going to stay here for a while?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I just came to see how Hikaru's doing. I'll going back to Futaba Town tonight."

"Just make sure Hikaru comes back before curfew. He'll be locked out if he doesn't."

Hikari giggled. "I'll make sure. Thank you for the notice, Shinji-San." Then she gave him the brightest smile. "I hope we meet again!" With that, she disappeared into the crowd.

… Shinji sneezed.

~.~.~

"Ah… I swear, dressing like this is gonna become a habit…" Hikari muttered to herself. She dressed back to Hikaru again and was walking around the streets. This time, if she was kidnapped, she could go _all out_.

But tonight, she was going to meet someone new.

It was four hours before curfew. Hikari just wanted to make sure that everyone will think that she's being dropped off by Hikaru. She just looked at the glowing lights of other people's houses.

There was just one thing that caught her eye. A young girl, about the same age as her, was leaning against the wall of a house. The girl had peach-colored hair with two pigtail drills tied by purple ribbons. Her eyes were as red as a poinsettia.

Hikari thought she looked beautiful, even though she was a girl herself. But something about the girl seemed off. Her aura felt slightly… disturbed. Hikari approached the girl. "Um, hello."

The girl stared at the Tobari Academy student. "What do you want?"

The blunette confirmed her guess. The girl really was disturbed about something. "Oh, nothing. I just saw you alone, so I thought you might want some company." She stood next to the girl, despite her protest against Hikari's statement. "My name's Aikawa Hikaru, fused with Crecelia."

The girl hesitated, but smiled back with warmer eyes. "My name is Momoshima Urara (Ursula)." She leaned up a little straighter, looking at the stars. "So what is a Tobari Academy student doing out here?"

"Oh, I had to drop off my twin sister back to our hometown. She came for a visit with her friends and me." Hikari scratched her cheek. "Although… my twin and I don't get along sometimes… We had another pointless argument about dreams and telepathy until we ran out of insults."

Urara giggled, a true smile forming on her frame. "You two sound like quite the twin brother and sister, hm?"

Hikari grinned and showed a sign of relief. "You finally laughed." Urara looked a little surprise. "Your aura seemed a little disturbed before I talked to you, so I thought I'd talk to you."

"It's nothing, really," Urara murmured, "If I told you, you'd be laughing at me like I'm crazy."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Hikari looked up at the stars, which twinkled very brightly in the night sky. "But you know, if you keep your burdens and emotions bottled up in your heart, it'll be hard for you to move on." She crossed her arms, remembering what Shinji told her. "If it's not that important, you don't need to tell me. But if you think it'll cause a problem for you in the future, you should tell someone."

Urara sighed, hesitating over what Hikari said. "What if I told you that I met a Pokémon in my dreams?"

"Hmmm… I wouldn't think that's crazy. Even my twin sister said that she met a Pokémon in her dreams too."

"No, no…" she shook her head. "I mean, I felt as if that dream was real – like that Pokémon was materialized." Urara crossed her arms and slightly slouched. "I've been having those dreams lately, but I really can't tell if it's just a dream… or if a Pokémon wants to fuse with me."

Hikari smiled, putting a hand on Urara's shoulder. "You're not crazy, Urara-San. That's not a dream." She nodded to reassure Urara. "But, if you still feel worried, I can enter your dreams with Crecelia and help you."

Urara's red eyes widened. "Really? You can do that?"

"Of course! I am fused with Crecelia, who has the power to give pleasant dreams." Hikari gave her a prideful smile. "Although Crecelia isn't much of a dream Pokémon, we still can enter dreams." Hikari plucked out a piece of her hair. "It's a little strange, but you can use this strand to call me. All you need to do is sleep with this near you."

Urara carefully took the hair strand from Hikari. "Are you sure though? This would be like giving me a Crecelia feather."

Hikari nodded firmly. "I'm definitely sure!" She pounded her fist against her chest. "I can visit you to help with your Pokémon dream, plus, you'll be able to drive nightmares away!"

"You're not the typical Tobari Academy student, are you?" Urara chuckled. "Anyways, thank you." With that, she went back inside the house with a relieved look on her face.

The blunette walked back to the academy, satisfied with what she's done.

Meanwhile, inside that house, Urara was sitting on her mattress, looking at the hair strand. "Aikawa Hikaru Crecelia… Hm, I'll remember that name and his face." She carefully put the strand in a handkerchief and slept. If one looked closer, there was a small blush coating her cheeks.

~.~.~

Hikari proceeded to walk through the village square to the academy, unaware of the shadow that stood on top of the palace behind her.

The shadowed figure raised up a katana, a glowing white orb forming at the tip of the sword. The figured gazed at the whole village, the eyes slightly narrowing with bitter memories. However, his eyes went to a walking Hikari. "Tch… Why now? It's too… late…!"

Without another word of regret, the orb was released into the air. The orb broke down and scattered the same way as last time. But this time, a method was different. Instead of words being written on walls, the orbs exploded into leaflets.

One orb exploded near Hikari, a bunch of leaflets raining down on the area. One of them fell into Hikari's hands. She read the words written on the paper.

_Don't ignore that bloody past that killed the nations._

_Scandals… Secrets… _

_Everything will be revealed through the Murasaki Legacy._

_-Dream Messenger-_

Her eyes scanned the white leaflet as she walked through the streets. As she took her eyes off of the message, a suspicious-looking boy appeared in front of her.

It felt as if time slowed at that moment.

Hikari somehow knew that the person before her was the Dream Messenger! Her blue eyes met with the Dream Messenger's. She swore she saw his eyes slightly softening at her before disappearing into the darkness.

Then, an army of guards came running. "You! Have you seen anyone suspicious around here?"

All she needed to say was 'yes'! But instead… an entirely different answer came out. "No, I haven't seen anyone suspicious! But the Dream Messenger must be lurking around that way!" She pointed to the opposite direction of where the real Dream Messenger went. The guards took off in the direction she pointed to.

The guards ran toward the palace, finding no one near it. "Wait! There! He's hopping on top of the roofs!" They rushed to the area where the Dream Messenger was.

The Dream Messenger hopped from roof to roof, chased by the Tobari Palace guards. "Tch, chased already…?" He disappeared within the walls of the academy.

"Damn it! He disappeared into Tobari Academy!"

"But we aren't allowed to enter the grounds at this time!"

The head guard clenched his fist. "Alright, we'll retreat for now! We need to go notify Prince Reiji!" The army went back to the palace.

As silence engulfed the village, a man covered in shadows looked at the place the Dream Messenger disappeared to. He gritted his teeth and crumpled the paper in his hands. "I will _NOT _allow the Murasaki Legacy to be found!" The man went away without a sound.

~.~.~

Reiji received a letter from the royal head guard. He read it over along with the Dream Messenger's leaflet. "Why…? Why must the Dream Messenger bring up such bitter memories?"

The words of the leaflet reflected the dreams and nightmares that Reiji had. He tore his eyes away from the words, unable to bear seeing the painful dreams and nightmares he's had.

"So… the Dream Messenger disappeared into Tobari Academy?" Reiji murmured. "The only conclusion would be that the Dream Messenger is a student of Tobari Academy…" He stood up and approached the video phone. He dialed a number and Sumomo appeared in front of the screen. "Sumomo?"

"I know, Prince Reiji." Sumomo sighed. "We can't afford to let the Dream Messenger hurt more people."

Reiji bit his lower lip. "I'm aware of that too. I have no choice…"

Sumomo looked at the prince in worry. "Reiji-Kun… What are you going to do?"

"We have no choice but to move the Yumi・Katana Competition to an earlier date."

"Earlier date?" Sumomo whispered. "How early?"

Reiji sighed, scratching the back of his head. "… Next week."

Sumomo nodded in comprehension. "I understand. Besides, the students have been training very hard for the competition. I think it'll be good to move it to next Friday."

"Yeah… That way, we'll be able to catch the Dream Messenger." Reiji extended out a hand. "Arceus, please come out." Then, Arceus appeared in a small flash of light. "We have no choice but to hold the competition next Friday, Arceus. Will you let us do that?"

Arceus stood in his usual heroic stance, nodding his head. _"Of course. We cannot let that Dream Messenger use that past to bring up such memories…" _

"We know… We all know," Reiji muttered. After Sumomo and he gave their good-nights, Reiji went to work on writing the announcement that was going to shock the students of Tobari Academy.

~.~.~

Meanwhile, the Dream Messenger took refuge in an abandoned storage room. He panted, trying to regain his breath. "I've done my duty for today…" With that, he changed back into his uniform and went outside. "That guy… He shouldn't see me… yet." He rushed back to the dorms.

Hikari made it back to the dorms, meeting Jun and Shinji in their dorm. Dialga and Darkrai were sitting on their partner's shoulders. "Jun! Shinji-Senpai! The Dream Messenger struck again!" She took out the leaflet that fell into her hands from her sleeve. "I think… the Dream Messenger is trying to tell us something… Something that we're not supposed to know…"

Shinji raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"I-it's not like I'm siding with the Dream Messenger or anything (since there isn't much information he left)," Hikari stammered, "but I think he's trying to tell us what had happened while the Regional War* occurred."

Jun snatched the letter from her hands. "Let me see that." He read it loud enough for only them to hear. After he finished, an awkward silence filled with room.

"_Scandals and secrets…"_ Dialga whispered. _"There were a lot of those in the Regional War. You can never know which one the Dream Messenger means."_

Jun read the leaflet over again. "Well, judging by his words, I think he means a scandal and a secret most related to the Murasaki Legacy."

Hikari scratched her head. "Wait… Isn't… Shinji-Senpai's last name… Murasaki…?

The blonde did a facepalm. "Yeah!"

Shinji looked at a different direction. "Yeah… I thought everyone would've forgotten about it." He bit his lower lip. "But I guess I was wrong…"

"Senpai, I think… someone is going after your parents' legacy."

"I already know," Shinji replied. "By the way, you might want to practice all out starting from tomorrow." He smirked at Hikari and Jun. "Aniki*'s going to hold the Yumi・Katana Competition next Friday."

It took a moment for the two to digest what Shinji said. "WHAT?"

"Reiji's my brother after all. There's nothing I wouldn't know about him and his decisions."

Darkrai rolled his eyes, seemingly smirking under his red scarf. _"You and your shadow abilities…" _

Crecelia appeared, narrowing her eyes at Darkrai. _"Hey! We still haven't finished that fight from before! Take this!"_ She threw a pencil at Darkrai, nearly hitting Shinji forehead. They both dodged with ease, but Shinji stared at Hikari with deadpan eyes.

Hikari laughed nervously. "Sorry… She's been ranting about Darkrai this whole day…"

"_Why you…!"_ Darkrai charged towards Crecelia with a sharpened pencil.

Crecelia grabbed a brush and dipped it in ink. _"Don't think you're the only one without a weapon!"_

Dialga sweatdropped, galloping in the air towards the fighting Pokémon. _"Crecelia! Darkrai! Behave yourselves!"_ Unfortunately, Dialga received an ink splatter and graphite pieces as a reply. A vein popped in his forehead. _"Good grief…!"_ He headbutted the two Pokémon in irritation. _"Behave yourselves or I will do something worse to you two!"_

The three humans watched their partners engage in an argument. They all thought that they were somehow like children.

~.~.~

_**A few days later (Morning)…**_

The three, along with Satoshi, went to the bulletin board to see if what Shinji said was true. Sure enough, there was a scroll hung on the board. The scroll said that the Yumi・Katana Competition was moved to next Friday.

Hikari and Jun exchanged looks while Shinji smirked. Satoshi just yawned, not used to getting up at day nowadays.

"You two better prepare yourselves," he started, "Especially you, Jun. I'll be training you at the same time, too."

Jun looked surprise. "Huh? You can do archery too?"

Shinji suppressed a yawn. "Yeah, it's not a big deal. My katana just preferred me, really." He cracked his neck after stretching. "Alright, today's just another school day. Even though it's early, let's go to our classes now." They headed to their classes with the thought of the upcoming Yumi・Katana Competition.

~.~.~

_A/N: So how was today's chapter, guys? I hope it wasn't too bad… ^^" You know, I think Urara's actually a very kind person. She just develops rivalries pretty easily. xDD *shot* _

_**Questions**__  
Is there anything you want to see in my story?  
Who do you think is the Dream Messenger now?  
How was Hikari's encounter with Urara and the Dream Messenger?  
When do you think the Dream Messenger will reveal himself? :]  
Who do you think was that mysterious man who said, "I will NOT allow the Murasaki Legacy to be found!"?  
Was this chapter okay?_

_**Asterisks***_

_Gochisousama – a saying after you've finished eating your meal_

_Regional War – Eh, it's just a name I made up. It's the war where all the regions fought for the Murasaki Legacy. I think it's better to keep it vague like this for possible future purposes._


	7. Dream Messenger

_A/N: Hi, guys! Hana here! No, I did not write this chapter. I'm just doing the Author's Note for Ichi. xDD *shot*_

_Oh crap! The Dream Messenger slipped into Tobari Academy? Who is this mysterious messenger who keeps mentioning the Murasaki Legacy?_

_Note: Akagi/Cyrus, Shirona/Cynthia_

**Tobari Shinobi: Shinou Scandal****  
CH ****7****:**** Dream Messenger**

A man was looking at the messages that the Dream Messenger has sent so far. He gritted his teeth, staring at the message that was sent a few days ago.

_Don't ignore that bloody past that killed the nations._

_Scandals… Secrets…_

_Everything will be revealed through the Murasaki Legacy._

_-Dream Messenger-_

"I thought this was gotten rid of years ago!" He threw the leaflet down with fury. "Damn this piece of bullshit!"

"Akagi-Sama, please calm down. I'm sure that no one knows where it is," a woman with red hair tried to reassure her boss. "We were the ones who prevented the Murasaki Legacy from being fully destroyed after all."

Akagi glared at the red-headed woman. "You're certainly right, Mars, but it was hidden by that damn man! Because of him, my plans became ruined." He sat on the cushion, contemplating about this. "And now, the Dream Messenger will terminate my plans of searching for that Murasaki Legacy!"

"You will find it, Akagi-Sama." A man with blue hair then entered the room. "You _are_ the minister of war, are you not? You can use war strategies to discover the whereabouts of the Murasaki Legacy without the Dream Messenger being a hindrance."

Akagi merely smirked. "Hn, I'll be the very first to find it. That way… I can create… the perfect world."

~.~.~

It was only a few days before the Yumi・Katana Competition. Shinji was training both Hikari and Jun… a little harsher than usual. They started training without their Pokémon forms. It almost tired even Jun out.

"Shinji-Senpai, you are insane!" Hikari whined, "How is it possible that your training is so intense that even Jun can barely keep up?" She let her body go limp from doing so many pull-ups. Sweat had coated her whole body and her hair was wet and tangled from it.

Shinji had tied a cloth around her and Jun's wrists and on a thick tree branch to hold their weight. They've been doing pull-ups like that for an hour now.

Jun was beside Hikari, sweating like crazy. "Ah, dammit! I can keep up, Hikaru!" He attempted to a pull-up, but he couldn't even lift himself up. "… Bah, what the hell? Get me off of this thing!"

The prince was smirking at his two kouhai, somehow amused at their reaction. "Well, I think you did enough for today."

"_ENOUGH?"_ Hikari shrieked. "This is too much! You hear me? TOO! MUCH!"

"Ah, shut up." Shinji untied their binds and let them rest. "There's a river nearby, so you guys can get some water and wash up."

"It's so hot…!" Jun exclaimed. He sat up and took off his shirt. "This is crazy!" Hikari went wide-eyed at Jun's sudden… outburst. Her face went pink and turned away from him. "Hikaru, aren't you hot too? You're literally soaked in your own sweat!" He inched over to her. "Just take off that shirt! You'll feel really cool!"

Hikari shook her head frantically. "No! I-it's really fine. I don't need to take it off, really."

"Oh, come on…" Jun insisted. "You gotta be joking. You're still sweating, man!"

"And I said I'm fine!" she exclaimed. She slapped his hand away from her and proceeded to head to the river. Shinji helped Jun up and headed to the river.

Jun rolled his eyes as he followed the stomping Hikari. "Geez, what's gotten into him?"

Shinji raised a brow. "I don't think he's the type to be touched so suddenly by a guy."

"Oh yeah… Hikaru has been like that since I met him…" Jun murmured under his breath. His stomach growled. "Are we gonna have snacks, by the way?"

"I'm sure Hikaru packed something," Shinji replied. "Hey, Troublesome Idiot!"

Hikari turned around with a popped vein throbbing on her head. "Don't call me a 'Troublesome Idiot'!" She puffed her cheeks angrily and took out something wrapped in a handkerchief. "And yes, I brought some snacks! We'll eat after washing up."

Jun threw his arms up in the air in joy. "Yes!"

Shinji heard rustling nearby and wheeled around. "Satoshi, what do you want?"

On cue, Satoshi hung down from a tree, eating a juicy apple. "What's up, guys? I happened to pass by your training session and decided to watch!" He grinned as he jumped down. "So you got snacks, huh?"

Hikari smugly raised a brow and crossed her arms. "Did you really think I wouldn't forget you, Satoshi-Senpai? It's kinda obvious that you're hanging around much more often." She held it in her hands. "Well, I did bring more than usual… But I think I'll just give it to our starving Jun."

Satoshi's jaw hung open. "No, gimme some too!"

"I'd rather not…!" she joked. Satoshi chased after her to grab the wrapped snacks from her hands. "You can't catch me, Senpai!"

Shinji sighed as he watched the two play around. Strangely, he somehow… felt uncomfortable. He grabbed Satoshi by the collar and dragged him back. "Hey, Hikaru has sweat all over him. You wouldn't want to touch him."

"Good point." Satoshi nervously laughed and turned to Hikari. "Just gimme the snacks when you wash up, okay?"

Hikari smiled and nodded. "Of course!" They arrived to the river, where they saw clean and sparkling water. "Wow! It's such a pretty river!" She ran over to the water, immediately plunging into it after setting down the snack. "Ah… It's so cool…"

Jun dived in, splashing water all over Shinji and Satoshi. Of course, Satoshi decided to cover for the snacks Hikari made. A vein popped in Shinji's head and he sighed. "Oops… Sorry, guys!" He grinned and started swimming while Hikari just floated.

Shinji shook the water out of his hair and put his feet inside the water. It felt soothing for his aching feet. He was standing in front of his kouhai all day today, watching them train.

Satoshi opened up the wrapping and found two rows of rice balls in it. "Woohoo! It's onigiri!" He got one and took a huge bite.

A kind laugh came from behind them. "Enjoying yourselves, are you?" A man appeared from the forest behind them. His hair was dark green, which ended in a blue-green. He wore small square-like glasses on the bridge of his nose, revealing his shining blue eyes. Although the actual Pokémon had yellow fruits hanging on their neck, he had them growing on the edges of his large leaf-life wings.

His name is Midorikawa Katsu Tropius, the teacher for PokéFood class.

Hikari beamed at the man before them. "Ah, Midorikawa-Sensei!" She jumped up from the spot and ran over to the said teacher.

"Ah, it's Midorikawa-Sensei…" Satoshi muttered.

"Satoshi-Kun, you shouldn't eat too much snacks. It's unhealthy."

"See, this is why I don't like being in his class!" Satoshi whined. "He scolds me for eating snacks!"

Shinji suppressed a chuckle that was about to escape his lips. "Katsu-Sensei is right, though. You're always eating so many snacks a day."

Hikari rolled her eyes at Satoshi. "Satoshi-Senpai, how come you never get fat no matter how many snacks you eat?"

Jun stopped swimming to take a look at Satoshi. "Maybe it's because he's always going around to look for something. You barely see him around all the time!" They all glanced at the brown-eyed student. "I think he's always losing weight by flying around, no matter how many snacks he eats!"

Katsu nudged his glasses up. "Hmmm… That's true. He always looked the same every day."

"Aw, you guys are _mean_!" Satoshi exclaimed as he took another bite. "Geez…"

Hikari turned to Katsu. "Midorikawa-Sensei, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I always come here to get some peace and quiet." He smiled at Hikari. "But it's good to hear some young kids play around, right?" He laughed again, which sounded wonderful to Hikari's ears. "May I ask what you kids are doing here?"

Jun started swimming again. "Shinji was training us for the Yumi・Katana Competition. Our training session just ended, and we had to wash up."

"Shinji-Kun, training your kouhai too hard will come back to haunt you," Katsu teased. But then, he became very serious. "No, really… I mean it." He shuddered at a certain thought.

Shinji simply smirked at Katsu's remark. "Katsu-Sensei, they'll never have a chance to touch me." Unfortunately, he said that too late. Hikari had splashed water at his face. While Katsu tried his best to suppress his laughter, Shinji gritted his teeth in agitation. "… You are dead."

Hikari stuck out a playful tongue. "I won't be unless you catch me!" Pink wings appeared on her back and she flew away to the other side of the river, which was quite far. She started to make jokes and funny faces at him.

"…" He disappeared in his own shadow, giving everyone an eerie aura. Hikari knew what was going to happen and flew up before Shinji caught her foot using her own shadow. "Damn it."

"Senpai, you'll have to be smarter than that!" However, she wasn't that smart at the moment. Her energy was depleted from the intensive training and her wings didn't last much longer. Her wings slowly chipped away and vanished. "Eh…" Then, she fell towards the stony ground.

Shinji's eyes widened. "Hikaru!"

"Hikaru-Kun!" Katsu flew in to catch Hikari in his arms. He held her to him closely before making sure she was alright. "I think it was a bad idea to provoke him without regaining your energy." He got a bundle of his yellow fruits and gave them to Hikari. "Eat it and I'll carry you back." He flew over to the other side of the river while Hikari ate the delicious fruit.

"This is so good!" Hikari squealed. "It's no wonder you're the PokéFood teacher! You have the _best_ and delicious recipes!"

Jun stared at the yellow fruits and was reminded of the snacks Hikari brought. "Oh yeah! Hey, Satoshi! Give me some of that onigiri!" Satoshi handed the blonde one. Jun took a bite, savoring the flavor. "Man, this is good! You make the best food too, you know!"

Hikari scratched her head nervously. "Yeah… But I'm not as good as my twin sister. She's better than me! I just know how to make simple food."

"Oh, you have a twin sister, Hikaru-Kun?" Katsu asked.

"Ah, I haven't told you about her, did I?" she replied. "Well, her name's Aikawa Hikari. I'm her twin brother, Aikawa Hikaru."

Katsu's eyes seemed to widen for a moment, but his eyes softened and smiled. "Is that so? What about your father? Was he a student here?"

Hikari smiled wider and nodded. "Of course! He was Aikawa Katsumi Celebi!" She looked at the blue sky. "Apparently, my father saved the nations from an all-out war. I… never got to meet or see him, but I'm sure he was an awesome person!"

The teacher chuckled at the optimism of the blunette before him. "I'm sure you'll meet him someday. Just because he passed away doesn't mean you can't or won't meet him." He gave her a grin and stood back up. "Well, even though it was short, I had a great time with you guys. I better get going to do some paperwork."

Satoshi raised his hands up in the air. "Hooray!" He took another bite of the onigiri. Jun and Hikari waved good-bye while Shinji greeted him 'bye'.

Tropius appeared on Katsu's shoulder as he passed through the forest. _"Katsu, are you okay?"_

"Yes, Tropius. I'm… more than fine." Katsu pursed his lips to prevent an emotion from escaping. "Thanks for your help, Tropius. I appreciate it." Tropius nodded his head and disappeared, making Katsu's appearance look normal. He sighed and leaned against the tree.

A single tear escaped his eye.

~.~.~

The next day, the usual quartet went through their classes and it was another session of training. This time, it was a spar battle… for Hikari and Shinji, anyways. Jun was to simply try hitting the center of the target. Satoshi decided to sleep on a tree branch nearby.

"Alright, you and I are half the importance of our team. Jun's the other half."

"But since there are two swordsmen in one team, our points will be twice the archer's." Hikari and Shinji unsheathed their katana and prepared to fight. "Oh, I feel a little uneasy about this," Hikari muttered worriedly.

Shinji rolled his eyes and sheathed his sword. "This is why I made you go through all that training." He pointed at Hikari. "The reason why you are weak is because you're always feeling uneasy. That's why you nearly got killed by Kouhei that time!"

Hikari gulped, remembering what Kouhei almost tried to do to her. "Yes, I remember." She took a deep breath to clear her head. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Good. I won't be going easy on you." Shinji unsheathed his sword once again and charged immediately. He appeared in front of Hikari and attempted to slash her down. Hikari brought her sword above her head, Shinji's sword clashing with hers. He jumped back, smirking. "Good job. That was a perfect defense. Now it's time for offense!"

"Oh boy…" Hikari sighed. She shook away her uneasiness again and gained some confidence. She charged towards Shinji, her katana close to her side. She attempted to strike Shinji's dominant arm but was blocked. Before Shinji had a chance to attack, Hikari ducked and swept him off the ground. He fell on his back. "I got you now."

Shinji found the blade of her katana at the side of his neck. He stayed still for a moment, contemplating about this situation. "That was good, but it's better if you aim your whole sword at my neck. Don't put your blade beside my neck." He pointed his blade at her stomach. "Even though it won't kill you immediately, the enemy _can_ severely injure you to your death if you place it beside the neck."

"Oh, so it's like… a double-edged sword?" Hikari asked. Shinji nodded to confirm her thoughts. "Okay… Aim at neck, not beside the neck."

"Now, jump back or else I'll really slash your stomach." He sliced the air when Hikari flew into the air. "Oh, so it's an air battle now?" He also floated into the sky, his black cloak flowing with the breeze. "Anyways, let's combine defense and offense together with our abilities. Ready?"

"Yes, sir!"

Shinji's eyes glowed aquamarine as his appearance changed into his Darkrai form. "Dark Pulse." His black sword was covered in black rings.

Hikari also turned into her Crecelia form. She held the katana up to her lips. Rainbow-colored energy flowed out through her lips and coated the blade of the katana. "Aurora Beam."

"Hm, you now know how to change certain energies into different forms? When'd you learn that?"

"I've been training by myself for a while now…" Hikari laughed. Her wings fluttered in the air, releasing some sparkling particles. "Let's go, Senpai!" She charged with speed towards Shinji. The flowing energy on her blade suddenly hardened into ice as she clashed with his sword. The energy then changed again and rubbed onto the Dark Pulse of his sword.

Shinji used more power to throw her back. Unfortunately, half of his power-coated katana was frozen. He stared at it for a while. "… Hn." He smacked it against a tree and the ice fell apart. "That's a good way to distract an enemy, that's for sure. Was that your intention?"

"Yes, but it didn't work on you though…" Hikari sighed and puffed her cheeks. "Geez… And I used so much effort to think of it _and_ pull it off!"

He slightly chuckled at his kouhai. "Well, not everything can go your way." He then took a deep breath. "Haze!" A thick black smoke surrounded the two. "Now think fast!" He attempted to tap Hikari, but he was met with the dull side of the blade. "Hm?"

That was when he noticed that there were shining particles everywhere. Hikari had used the combination of her wings' particles and her Aurora Beam to create a barrier of floating ice shards. If he were to penetrate that barrier, she'd know where he was going to come from.

"What do you think?" she asked. "Isn't this a great way to tell where the enemy's going to come from?"

Shinji smirked at the confidence in her tone. The Dark Pulse wore away on his katana. "Yes, it certainly is… but it won't last that long." He breathed out a pink mist, coating his blade. "Prepare to go to sleep."

Hikari's eye twitched, remembering that very day where Shinji lost control. "… Uh-oh…"

"Hey, Jun!"

The called looked up at the dark cloud. "Uh… What?"

"You should train near the opposite side of the tree. There's no telling what kind of energy will fall out this haze."

Jun's brows shot up in surprise. "Oh boy… Alright!" He got the target and moved to the other side of the tree. He resumed his practice.

Without another warning, Shinji charged towards Hikari with his energy-covered sword. Hikari gasped and clashed swords with him. "Oh shit, my barrier…!" She mentally smacked herself for not realizing.

"Well, it wasn't too bad of an idea. But you might want to improvise."

Hikari smirked at the purple-haired prince. "Did you really think I was standing here listening to you?" Another Hikari appeared behind him and tried to touch his neck with the tip of her blade.

However, Shinji sighed when he realized that Hikari was behind him. "… Sorry…" He released a black ball around them, making _both_ fall asleep. They began to fall down to the ground.

Satoshi, who happened to wake up, saw them fall from such a height! "Shinji! Hikaru!" He flew in to catch the two of them in his arms! "Geez, you two _really_ know how to spar, don't you?" He set them down on the tree and wiped his forehead.

Jun witnessed the scene and he was amazed. "Dude! I think that's the most amazing thing I've ever seen you do!"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

The blonde shrugged, smugly looking at his senpai. "Oh, I don't know. You tell me."

Meanwhile, Shinji and Hikari were asleep next to each other. But, Hikari was leaning on his shoulder, her blue hair touching his. Shinji was not aware of this, but he did have the most soothing dream of his life.

~.~.~

_**That night…**_

The crescent moon was shining brightly in the night.

A shadow moved within the darkness, swiftly running across the roofs of houses in silence. It was, once again, the Dream Messenger. He now jumped from roof to roof, eventually arriving to the top of the palace.

He raised his sword up, a white orb forming at the tip. "And the Dream Messenger strikes again." He shot it into the air. The orb broke into more orbs, scattering across the region. One traveled to the center of Tobari City and broke into smaller orbs. When they stopped, they exploded in a blinding light and disappeared.

But letter began to form in mid-air!

The Dream Messenger sat down, watching his messages form. That was cut short, for Sumomo had spotted him.

"You!" Sumomo leapt up until she was near the same level as the Dream Messenger. "What are you doing?" Dream pinched his nose, hard. "What have you done? Can't you see that this will only hurt the people and cause the nations to go into war again?"

"… My messages are not to cause war." He unsheathed his katana, which gleamed in the moonlight. But Sumomo couldn't make out the color of it. "If you will not let me pass, I will have to fight you."

Sumomo took a fighting stance, ready to fight the enemy before her. "Oh, I'm not gonna let you pass." Her appearance then changed into the Lucario form. "Get ready, Dream Messenger! I may be a girl, but I know how to fight!" A katana suddenly appeared in her hand as she ran towards him. Their swords clashed with brute force.

The Dream Messenger seemed unaffected by her strength. "Hn." He smirked and inhaled deeply. "Haze!"

"That won't work on me!" Sumomo lifted up one of her hands and pointed it at the Dream Messenger. "Aura-!"

However, his smirk grew wider. "Just kidding… Hypnosis!" He released a pink-colored mist at Sumomo. She became unconscious and began to fall backwards.

Luckily, Reiji came out just in time. He was wondering why he heard clashing swords. He found Sumomo falling to her doom. His eyes widened and ran towards her. "Sumomo!" He jumped with all his might and caught her in his arms. Reiji landed softly and stared at the dark shadow that stared back at him.

Reiji stood up, preparing to fight the Dream Messenger himself. But the shadow disappeared once he blinked. He relaxed and turned his attention back to Sumomo. "Why… why would he do such a thing…? What if he causes war again?"

The Dream Messenger teleported to a mansion nearby. He shot an orb at the mansion and disappeared. The orb went through the door of a room and disappeared within a wall. Letters began to form on the wall glowing with an eerie aura.

_Are you sure you're protecting our region?_

_The current Shinou is a horrible nation, hurting our people by pretending as if nothing happened._

_Someone in the government is at fault._

_-Dream Messenger-_

The room in which the letters were forming was the bedroom of Akagi, the Minister of War. He went wide-eyed as he read the message. "Impossible…!" He ran outside the door, finding a shadow watching him with hateful eyes. "Commanders! Chase after that Dream Messenger!"

Commander Mars and Saturn got their armies and went after the Dream Messenger. He ran away from the two armies approaching him.

"Commander Saturn, corner him!" Mars exclaimed. "We'll go this way!" Saturn's army rushed to another direction and chased after the Messenger. Eventually, he got cornered by both armies.

Saturn looked at the Dream Messenger and smirked. "Huh, you're tougher and faster than I thought." Mars and he pointed at Messenger. "Attack!" Guards began to attack him one by one.

"Tch." Messenger managed to fight them off, not even missing a single one. He dodged every attack that came his way or used them against each other. "You'll have to do better than that, you weaklings." He reached in his back pocket and took out something. "See ya." He threw down three smoke balls, using the smoke to escape.

The armies coughed, unable to take the intensity of the smoke.

"What is this smoke? It's so strong!" Mars shouted. Her throat was burning like crazy, her eyes were watering, and her nostrils felt stung.

Saturn also felt the same thing. "It's a pepper bomb combined with a smoke bomb! Get out of this smoke immediately! Retreat!" They ran out the cloud of pepper smoke and retreated.

Mars coughed and sneezed. "So… That Dream Messenger… is a prankster too, huh?"

Akagi ran over to his commanders. "What happened? Did you catch him?"

"No, sir!" Saturn coughed. "He escaped using a pepper and smoke bomb!"

The leader gritted his teeth and clenched his hands into fists. "He must be caught, no matter what!"

~.~.~

Satoshi was walking around the campus. Yes, he was bored. There was nothing fun to do alone in his dorm, so he decided to take a walk.

On his walk, he saw a white orb float by. "Uh-oh…" He watched the orb fly away from him. "And the Dream Messenger strikes again, huh?" He followed the orb to see the message this time.

It stopped at the center of the campus and disappeared. However, glowing letters began to write themselves in the air, spooking Satoshi.

"Oh shi-!" He slapped his mouth shut, looking around. No one heard him or saw him. Once the message was carved out, he read the message. "Are you sure you're protecting our region? The current Shinou is a horrible nation, hurting our people as if nothing happened. Someone in the government is at fault."

He sighed and shook his head. "If that's what Dream says, I'll just have to believe it." Satoshi walked away, a slightly dark expression on his face. "Dream might be right after all…"

Right when Satoshi disappeared, Takeshi ran in to find the message. "Has he struck again?" Takeshi hissed. He read the letters with a serious look. "What's going on? Why would the Dream Messenger say such words?"

Takeshi pursed his lips, not knowing what to do. He then used his telepathy to contact the teachers. "Attention to all faculty members of Tobari Academy! The Dream Messenger has struck again! His message is written in the center of the academy!"

Within a few minutes, all the staff members gathered around the center. They all read the message and murmured to themselves.

Shirona (Cynthia), the principal of Tobari Academy, stepped up to the message. "Teachers, please calm down. Let's discuss this in the faculty room and not wake up the students." They followed her to the room where they discussed the Dream Messenger's message.

Takeshi stood up from his chair. "I felt a strange energy in the academy so I went to look. There, I found the Dream Messenger's new message written in the air!" Murmurs went around. "It's like the Dream Messenger has a certain grudge against the government."

"Plus, this doesn't seem like any normal power," Katsu added, "This _has_ to be the work of a student here!"

The murmurs became louder. "That's impossible!" "One of our students? Stop stating such nonsense!" "But there are also others who possess these abilities, other than our students!"

"You may be right, Katsu-Sensei," Shirona replied. "There aren't much government officials who are bonded with a Pokémon that can create dreams." She pointed outside of the room. "Have you not noticed how you can see your own nightmares and dreams in those letters? It's most likely that the culprit is a student bonded with a dream-related Pokémon!"

"Wait!" someone exclaimed. "What if it was someone from another region? That's also possible!"

Takeshi bit his lower lip, thinking about the possibilities. "That could also be a likely chance. The Murasaki Legacy was created in the Shinou region after all. There's no telling if someone from another region did this."

Shirona sighed and crossed her arms. "We don't have enough clues yet. We will have to wait until the right time to figure this out. Meeting dismissed." The room emptied out and the academy became quiet in the night.

But it wasn't going to be that easy for the students the next morning.

It was a huge uproar that morning, when most of the students gathered around the message. Some were outraged, shocked, excited, or speechless. Satoshi, Shinji, Hikari, and Jun were at the back of the crowd.

"So you're saying that you saw that thing yourself?" Hikari whispered.

"Yeah!" Satoshi replied. "It totally spooked me when the message began writing itself!" He scratched his head, still a little scared. "I swear, it felt like I was watching those special effects of a movie!"

Jun looked at Shinji, who looked at him back. "Who do you think it was?"

Shinji crossed his arms, staring at the message. "It's probably someone who has a huge grudge on someone from the government." He seemed unfazed by the nightmares he saw in those letters. But one thing caught his eye. In all that darkness, there was a small light in the 'D' of 'Dream'. He wondered if it was actually a good dream he had in his life.

But it was actually that same soothing dream he had yesterday.

"…" He raised a brow, glancing at Hikari. She was talking to Jun about who it could be. Of course, Satoshi jokingly accused Hikari, whose jaw hung down in reply.

"How can you suspect me?" she pouted. "Ask Jun or Shinji-Senpai! I'm always the first one to sleep!"

Jun snickered. "I dunno, Hikaru. That could've been just a clone and you sneaked out to send the message!"

Satoshi snapped his fingers. "Oh! Jun's got a point!"

"Jun! Satoshi-Senpai!" Hikari whined. "Stop making fun of me! Shinji-Senpai, help me!"

They smirked and messed with him a little more. Shinji stared at Hikari with smug eyes and smirked. "Are you sure you're not the Dream Messenger?"

"SENPAI!" Hikari jumped up and down like a frustrated kid. "You guys are _mean_ to me!"

They all chuckled as Hikari complained about the teasing.

~.~.~

It was two days before the competition. This time, they decided to train in the area where the competition was going to be held.

"Alright, we'll be training here until the competition," Shinji declared. "Until then, use full effort to train."

"Yeah!" Jun and Hikari cheered. "Let's do this!"

Shinji smirked at their enthusiasm. He thought they would've broken down from the training by now. "I'm surprised you two actually came this far." He shrugged, knowing it was obvious. "Well, it's you guys after all. I don't think anyone else would be able to stand me."

Hikari smugly rolled her eyes. "Well, _I_ sometimes can't stand you, but I think it's a good thing being your student, kouhai, and team member. Cheers to Shinji-Senpai, Jun, and me!"

Satoshi's jaw hung low as he stared at Hikari. "Hikaru, what about me? I'm part of this team too!"

"Oh, o-of course!" Hikari blushed from embarrassment. "Sorry, Satoshi-Senpai." She nervously laughed while scratching her head.

"Let's get to training already!" Jun exclaimed. Everyone chuckled and went back to business. Satoshi watched over Jun for the archery. Shinji and Hikari had some more sparring to do.

They fought again, attacking each other with full force. Hikari was surprised at how strong she got. She just hoped that she didn't have huge muscles popping out of her arms. That would be very… unattractive…

_No! No! There is _NO_ time to be thinking about that!_ She charged towards Shinji again, their katana clashing with each other.

Meanwhile, Jun was shooting arrows with his abilities this time. "Hey, Satoshi?"

"Hm?"

"You do archery too, right?"

Satoshi nodded firmly. "Of course I do archery."

Jun put his bow down. "Then, how come you don't participate in the Competition?" He raised a brow at Satoshi. "Is there something wrong or whatever?"

"Hmmm…" The brown-eyed student tapped his chin. "I guess you can say I'm like Shinji's guardian – sorta. I have special conditions in which I don't need to participate."

The blonde rolled his eyes. "Well, I can't tell if it's a bummer or a lucky thing." He raised his bow and focused on the center of the target ahead. "Aura Sphere!" He shot the arrow, surrounded by blue energy. When it struck the center of the target, the arrow exploded. When the smoke was gone, the target had shattered to pieces.

Satoshi whistled. "Damn, that's some powerful move you got there. What have you been doing with your Aura Sphere?"

Jun blinked, shocked to see what he did. "Wow…! It looks like my training paid off!" He looked at Satoshi with excited eyes. "You see, I've been training my moves behind their backs! I can't believe this is my result!" He pumped up a fist, cheering. "Hell yeah!"

"You know, you get double the points if you shatter the target. It just depends on where you hit as the target shatters." Satoshi pointed at a target. "It has ten circles. If you hit that center and shatter it at the same time, you get twenty points."

"Ha! That's simple!" Jun exclaimed.

"It's not as simple as you think, though," Satoshi warned, "If you hit any other rings outside of the deep red color zone (8, 9, 10), you'll get no points at all. Even if you shatter that target, if you hit it outside 8… no points…"

Jun smirked, aiming his arrow at the center. "Nah, I'm sure I'll hit that deep red zone." He grinned. "DragonBreath." He breathed out a blue-purple flame on the arrow. He shot the flame-engulfed arrow. When it hit the target, cracks were made all the way from the center to edge. "Well, it didn't exactly shatter, but that was good, right?"

"Yeah, that's better than good!" Satoshi replied. "Dude, you'll do really great at the competition. Just keep this up, okay?"

"Obviously!"

While Jun and Satoshi continued to practice, Shinji and Hikari just finished sparring.

Hikari wiped some sweat off her forehead and sheathed her sword. "Okay… That battle was intense… I bet one with Kouhei-Senpai…"

"I thought I told you not to give him that honorific name," Shinji reminded. "I feel uncomfortable hearing you call him that."

The blunette smiled and giggled. "You have a good side to you after all." She sat on the platform for the archers and took a drink of water. "Well, I was gonna say that a battle with _him_ is going to be more intense than our battle."

Shinji looked at the ground, chuckling darkly. "What are you talking about?" He smirked at Hikari. "I was only using half my strength most of the time." He crossed his arms. "If I went full strength at you, you'd die immediately."

Hikari's eyes widened as if she saw his head turn 180 degrees. "What?" she squeaked. "That was only half and I thought that was intense?" She wanted to smack herself. "But what about _his_? Won't he be as strong your full strength?"

"I'm a _prince_, Hikaru. Kouhei is just an Elite student." Shinji shrugged, knowing that their level of power had a huge gap. "I could probably defeat him in seconds."

"Alright, Senpai…" Hikari laughed. "I'll be resting for a bit." She took another sip of water and looked at the sky. It was clear and the sun was shining brilliantly.

~.~.~

_**The next night…**_

The Dream Messenger was going to strike again. He was now traveling along the streets, scattering small glowing orbs along the way. However, nothing happened when the orbs hit the ground. They bounced up and down for a while and floated on ankle-level.

He definitely expected the armies to be prepared to fight him off tonight. "Hn, idiots." A smirk was seen and he continued his job. When he turned a corner, he found Saturn a few feet away from him. "Tch."

"Well, well, well…" Saturn chuckled darkly. "It looks like I picked the right time to patrol this area." He took two steps forward towards the Dream Messenger. "It seems we meet again."

Dream took a step back, scanning the surroundings. Another army led by Mars was right behind him and another army had gathered in the route he came from.

"We're idiots, you say?" Mars scoffed. "It's more like you're the moron that got trapped. What are _you_ gonna do about this?"

Dream charged towards Mars and punched him so hard that the commander knocked over a line of guards.

"Saturn, don't put your guard down!" Mars exclaimed. When she a knocked out Saturn, she gritted her teeth and glared at Dream. "Guards, attack the Dream Messenger at once!" A group of guards charged towards Dream and attempted to slash with their spears.

But Dream was swift. He dodged every attack and countered them by making them attack each other. He was quite nimble with his feet.

"Ugh, you worthless grunts! I'll take care of this myself!" Mars took out a small knife and ran at Dream. "Take this!" She brought down her knife on him, but he dodged it. Something strange happened though. Once Dream looked at Mars, he pinched his nose. Mars raised a brow but that didn't let her get distracted.

They continued to fight with Mars attacking and Dream dodging. Dream made sure not to stumble over any of the unconscious guards. As he continued jumping back to evade the slices of the knife, something – or someone – grabbed his ankle. He looked down to see a barely conscious Saturn firmly gripping his leg.

"Aha!" Mars leapt into the air and sliced Dream on the waist and across his dominant arm.

Dream suppressed the urge to scream in pain. He had absolutely NO time to do that. He released a pink mist at Mars and Saturn and used the opportunity to escape. Mars and Saturn fell asleep and fell to the ground.

"Fuck!" Dream hissed. He touched his waist, where the wound was and looked at it. His hand was covered in blood. Blood was also smudging his sleeve, where the wound on his arm began to drip blood. He couldn't run anymore, but he had to get back to Tobari Academy. He slipped into the same abandoned storage room.

The Dream Messenger panted, sweating like crazy. The wound on his waist and arm was serious. He _needed_ to heal at all costs. Tomorrow was the Yumi・Katana Competition! "Damn it…! I won't be able to fight with these wounds…!"

Dream took off the head gear that disguised his true identity. The white streak on his hair was beginning to disappear and his appearance was changing. His midnight black eyes seemed to suppress the urge to scream. "Look for any herbs that can at least stop the bleeding!" He hung his head low from the lack of strength.

"_Hang in there!"_ Darkrai speeded throughout the storage room to find the herb to stop his partner's bleeding.

The true identity of the Dream Messenger was Murasaki Shinji – the Prince of Shinou.

~.~.~

_A/N: Well, like you guys said… Yes, the Dream Messenger IS Shinji. Congrats to the people that had the thought of Shinji! _

_Hana: But this isn't the right time to celebrate right now! Shinji's in trouble! He has severe wounds, so how is he going to fight in the competition?_

_Ichi: You'll just have to find out in the next chapter!_


	8. Yumi・Katana Competition, Part 1

_A/N: Why does Shinji get hurt in Hana and my fics? Well, it should usually be the guy who should get hurt. __-__shot__-__ But you might be up for a little surprise in one of our fics… but we're not telling which one. By the way, it's finally the competition! I wonder what will happen?_

_Oh, and the competition will be split into parts._

**Tobari Shinobi: Shinou Scandal****  
CH ****8****.1****:****Yumi****・****Katana Competition**

"_Shinji… Shinji…!"_ Darkrai called. He gently slapped Shinji's cheek to snap him out of it. _"You mustn't fall asleep! It'll be all over if you do!"_

Shinji panted, using full efforts to keep himself conscious. "Did you get the herb?" Darkrai nodded and tended to his partner's wounds. Shinji hissed at the stinging pain the herb was causing. His injuries were definitely serious. "Shit…!" He couldn't take the pain.

Darkrai burned the used herbs and wrapped Shinji's wounds with bandages. _"If you're worrying about the competition, there's no time. Your health is more important here."_ He finished tying the bandages on Shinji's arm. _"Come on, we have to go back."_

"You're right. I promised that guy that I'll be there…" Shinji stumbled up on his feet, leaning against the wall for support. Sweat was dripping down his face. "Alright… Jun, Hikaru… I'm coming…" He tried to take a step but his body was shocked by the immense pain from his waist. "Argh…!"

Shinji couldn't take the pain anymore. His legs gave way and he collapsed.

Darkrai's eyes widened, shaking Shinji's shoulders. _"Shinji! Shinji! Wake up! Don't you dare fall asleep!"_ He shook Shinji harder. _"Shinji! SHINJI!"_

Meanwhile, Hikari and Jun were in their dorm room. It was very late at night. They lied in their futon, worried about how Shinji hasn't come in yet. The two couldn't even close their eyes for even a few seconds.

Hikari stared at the ceiling, desperately hoping that nothing bad happened to Shinji. "Where can senpai be…? It's already past curfew too…" She pulled the blanket over her face. "What if he doesn't plan on competing with us?"

Jun shook his head. "No. Definitely not." He gently flicked Hikari's forehead. "Look, Shinji's not the type to let someone's hard efforts of training and hopes down. He's the prince of promise, Hikaru! Besides, if he's not back until tomorrow morning, I'm gonna fine him a million!"

The blunette giggled at the blonde's attempts to cheer her up. "Yeah…" But even if Jun said that, she was still worried deep down. That was exactly why she was concerned. If Shinji hasn't come back yet, that meant real trouble… bad news. She bit her lower lip and gulped. "Good night, Jun." She rolled over and closed her eyes.

_I believe in Shinji-Senpai, _she thought, _There's no way he'll abandon this competition. I'm sure he wants to beat Kouhei too._

She was going to lead them to victory. She was going to show Kouhei that she wasn't going to be defeated by someone who uses power cruelly.

_Shinji-Senpai… Please be okay…_

~x~x~

Darkrai's head perked up when he heard a noise. There was someone in their hideout! His eyes scanned the surroundings, being cautious of anything suspicious.

Suddenly, he felt a poke on his shoulder. His eyes widened and wheeled around, preparing to shoot Dark Pulse. Who he found was unexpected.

"_Y… you…?"_ he stuttered. _"But… But how?"_

The person before him smiled nervously. "Well… It was easy, really. This feels so like you two, don't you think?"

Darkrai shook his head at the answer. _"I didn't mean that kind of 'how', but I guess you won't answer me…"_

"Sorry, Darkrai… But you'll have to wait for my explanation…" The person sighed, averting his attention to Shinji now. "But still, I'm glad I found him in time. That army of Akagi's is a troublesome bunch, Darkrai." He lifted Shinji's shirt, examining the wounds on his waist and arm. "He won't be able to compete like this, though…"

Darkrai looked at Shinji with worry. _"I don't know what to do… I don't know any move that can help heal him or at least soothe the pain…"_

"I do know Aromatherapy. I can use it on him so the effect will last him for a day." The person sighed though. "But it won't be enough to completely numb the pain. He will feel it, but not as much as now."

"_Use Aromatherapy…"_ Darkrai murmured, _"please…"_

"Don't worry, I was planning on using it." His hands hovered over Shinji's wounds.

Just then, Shinji's eyelids fluttered open ever so slightly. He found a familiar person above him. "You…?" he grunted. "Why are you here? I thought no one knew about this place."

The person sighed. "No one can deceive me and time, you know." The Pokémon of the healer appeared and smiled at Shinji. "You'll be alright. I'll make sure that you make it to the competition."

Shinji tried to relax, trying to give in the soothing power of Aromatherapy. "Will I be okay enough to battle? That Kouhei isn't an easy person."

"I hope so. My move isn't _that_ powerful, but it'll be enough to get you moving without a problem. Just try not to overexert yourself."

The prince smirked. "Sorry, but I can't make any promises. That Hikaru is a troublesome little brat. You never know what he'll do."

The person chuckled along with Shinji. "Just try not to get your wounds opened again, alright? I've closed them now, but there's still some more healing to do."

"Wait, what time is it?"

"It's barely time for the students to wake up. Remember that the competition will be held after lunch. You'll have plenty of time to recuperate."

Shinji sighed and shook his head. "No, I'm going to practice once I eat breakfast. I can't lose to that bastard Kouhei, no matter what."

"_Why?"_ Darkrai asked.

Shinji smirked, closing his eyes. "Isn't it obvious, Darkrai?" He opened his eyes again, but they seemed more… determined. "Because I don't want that little brat to show off and humiliate me."

~x~x~

Hikari's eyes fluttered open. She looked at the screen door, noticing that it wasn't time to wake up yet. She sighed and dared to look over Jun. A horrified gasp escaped her lips.

"Shinji-Senpai…"

Jun's eyes snapped open. He perked up from his futon and glanced to his right. "He's… not here." His hands gripped his blanket. "Either he's practicing hardcore… or Shinji's in big trouble."

Hikari sighed. "I… I don't know." Her hands gripped her blanket. "We'll just have to find out, right?" She shook her concern off for now and got up. "I'm going to wash up, okay?"

The blonde yawned, rubbing his eyes. "Wait, I need to wash up too." The two entered the restroom and started brushing their teeth.

There was an awkward silence between the two. "So… how's Hikari doing?"

Hikari pursed her lips together, thinking of her reply. "She's… doing well. She's helping out Mama while I'm gone." She nervously laughed. "I hope she's doing okay, really."

"I'm sure she's fine! She's Hikari after all! There's no way she's doing less than okay!"

"Is… that so?" she nervously asked. "I'm sure she is, if you say so."

"U-uh, yeah…! I-I guess so." Jun chuckled and scratched his head. "Do you mail them often?"

Hikari smiled. "Yeah. I always get a reply from Mama and Hikari." She slightly sweatdropped at the thought of her replying to her own letters. "Hikari's letters are so funny."

Jun spit the foam out and rinsed his mouth. "Yeah, Hikari was quite the funny girl. Hey, does she mention anything about me?"

"Of course!" Hikari replied. "She occasionally tells me all the funny pranks you used to pull on us."

A small burst of laughter escaped his lips. "Oh yeah. Those pranks were pretty common though." He washed his face while Hikari continued brushing her teeth. "It feels a little… lonely without your twin, though. You two made the funniest jokes."

Hikari sweatdropped again. _Will there ever come a day when I'll have to tell him the truth…?_ She decided that there will be a day – for sure. She then rinsed her face and wiped the water off with a towel. The two looked ahead of the open door, hoping to find Shinji. But no luck.

"Shinji-Senpai…" she muttered, "I wonder where he can be."

Jun glanced at Hikari and crossed his arms. "You know what? Hikaru, just wait here. I'm gonna go find Shinji." He threw his towel on the floor and took his nightwear off.

Hikari's eyes widened and she wheeled around, cupping her eye sight. Her face went pink from the embarrassment. Yes, she still couldn't get over the awkwardness of looking at a bare chest of a boy.

"Oops. I forgot about that…" Jun laughed. He quickly dressed into his competition uniform. "Sorry, Hikaru! I'll be back with Shinji, I promise!" He burst out the door and disappeared in a flash.

Hikari blinked and sighed, picking up Jun's towel. "At least give me your towel instead of throwing it on the floor…" She hung them up and went back to their room. She closed the door and took off her pajamas. She got the competition uniform out of her drawers. She took a quick glance at her bandaged chest. A small thought bubbled up, but she dismissed it immediately.

~x~x~

Jun shoved his hands in his pockets while walking around the campus. "Where is that guy?"

"Ah! Jun!" a voice called out. The blonde whipped around to see none other than Satoshi. "Hey, what's up? Looking for something?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for Shinji," Jun replied. "You seen the guy? Hikaru and I were worried since he didn't come to our dorm last night."

Satoshi cocked a brow. "He didn't?" He tapped his chin. "That's weird… Maybe he was at the palace. There are times he goes there to discuss something with Prince Reiji, after all."

"Good point." Jun sighed and stretched. "Well, I'm still gonna look around." He looked back at the direction he came from. "Hikaru has slightly big sense of pride, really." He grinned and patted Satoshi on the shoulder. "See ya, dude." With that, he left.

Satoshi's smile slowly turned into a line. "Hmmm…"

"_SATOSHI!"_

The boy's eyes widened as he turned to the orange-haired medic running at him with a terrifying face. "Gah! Kasumi?" He prepared to fly away if he was going to get another beating from her. Kasumi stomped over to Satoshi and grabbed his collar. "U-uh… W-What can I do for you today, Kasu?"

"Did you forget something?" Kasumi ominously asked, "Or did you ditch us just to walk around?"

The former's eye twitched at the dark aura the medic was emitting. "O-of course I forgot something! I-I was just trying get some extra decorations I found!" He shut his eyes, expecting a punch. But there was nothing. "Uh… Kasu…?"

Kasumi gritted her teeth and hissed, "What?"

"Uh, can you let go of my collar? You're gonna stretch it." He also noticed something else. "And um… your face is too close."

The medic blushed heavily. "S-shut up! Can't you see I'm trying to drag you back?" She groaned and shook her head. "Oh, I'll let go of your collar… in exchange for your ear!" She grabbed Satoshi's ear and dragged him back to the competition grounds.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Satoshi cried. "Kasu! Let go of my ear! Ouch! Hey, that hurts! C'mon, let me go!" He flailed his arms about. "_This_ is _NOT_ how you treat the Prince of Kantou!"

"Oh yeah?" Kasumi shouted back. "Well, this is how _I_, as Kantou Palace's nurse, treat the idiotic friend of mine!"

"Come on, Kasu…!"

Meanwhile, Jun arrived to the practice grounds. "Shinji?" he called out. "Hey, where are you? Shinji? Hello?" There was no reply but the chirping sound of birds. "Man, I can't find that guy anywhere!" His stomach then growled. "Aw, man… I can't skip breakfast…! Today's the competition…" He hesitated, but he turned around to go eat breakfast. "Sorry, Shinji!"

While he ran back to the dining hall, Shinji appeared from behind a tree. He tilted his head, taking a bite from a berry. "… Hn."

Jun arrived to the dining hall, finding Hikari already there. "Hikaru, I couldn't find him."

Hikari looked up at the blonde, sighing. "But I'm sure he'll turn up. I trust him." She gestured him to sit down. "Come on, I already got your breakfast."

"Sweet!" Jun sat down and dug in his breakfast. "Wow, they made it extra delicious today!"

"Plus, it's healthier and gives you more energy," Hikari added. "They know we'll need it for the competition." She ate a spoonful of rice, a sip of miso soup, and other side dishes. "It's been a while since I ate food _this_ good. It's like a gourmet!"

Jun smiled and rubbed her hair. "Hey, the way Hikari makes food is even better than this. Honestly, I think _her_ cooking is more of a gourmet…"

Hikari smugly rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Maybe. But I have to admit something…" She looked at the food in front of her. "For some odd reason, the taste of this meal… It tastes so… familiar…" She blinked for a few seconds, but brushed the matter off. "Oh well."

Just then, Satoshi entered the dining room and sat down next to Jun. "Hey, you two. Breakfast looks great today, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does," they agreed.

Something suddenly began to weigh on Hikari's mind. "By the way, Satoshi-Senpai, I've been curious for a while now. Whose team are you on in the competition?"

Satoshi's brows shot up. "Huh? Didn't Shinji tell you guys?" He received a shake of their heads. "Well, I have a special condition of not participating in the competition. It's weird, but I guess you can say it's for specific purposes?"

Hikari cocked a brow and Jun simply blinked. "Oh… Is that so?"

The two finished their breakfast and headed outside. "Where can Shinji-Senpai be…?" Hikari asked. "I'm starting to get worried." She suddenly received a pat on the back.

"Ah, don't worry about it. I have a good feeling that Shinji will turn up. I'm sure he won't disappoint us," Jun declared. "He's Shinji, after all. He's one to fulfill promises."

"My, oh my… What confidence you have, blondie," a smug voice called out. The two turned around, expecting their opponent. They found Kouhei and Shigeru behind them, smirking arrogantly. "You shouldn't have too much confidence, you know. You just might cause your own team's loss." He walked past Jun, purposely bumping his shoulder.

Jun's eye twitched. "I shoot that right back at you." Kouhei stopped and turned his head with a glare. "That arrogance of yours will lead to something worse someday than what'll happen today, I guarantee it." He glared back at the Elite. "So let me warn you: Watch it. Let's go, Hikaru." Hikari and Jun then walked past Kouhei and Shigeru, not turning around.

Kouhei gritted his teeth and clenched his hand into a fist. "Why those…"

Shigeru sweatdropped at his team leader. "Dude, just calm down." He sighed and patted Kouhei on the shoulder. "C'mon, don't let the small fry get to ya. Anyways, I'm gonna take my leave." With that, Shigeru left in a flash.

"Hn, that boy is right, you know."

Kouhei's eyes widened, moving his eyes to the pink-haired girl before him. "You…"

"Hm… How interesting to see you get so riled up by them." The girl chuckled smugly. "So adorable, aren't they?"

"What are you doing here, Urara?" He scanned Urara's appearance and smirked. "Ah, I see you have formed a pact with a Blacky (Umbreon). How mysterious."

Urara's eyes narrowed. "Don't start." She averted her attention to Jun and Hikari, who were walking to the practice grounds. "Now if you'll excuse me-!" She was stopped by Kouhei, who leaned on a tree in front of her. "What do you want?"

Kouhei smiled, but it seemed the opposite of a bright one. "I think you look fascinating with a Blacky." He chuckled, pushing his glasses up. "Let me ask you: Why have you been avoiding me? I should be as perfect as a pearl, right?"

"It would be best to stop being so self-conceited, Kouhei-San," Urara automatically replied. She gave him a very small bow. "Excuse me." She slightly flicked her hair and pushed past Kouhei. She sensed that she pissed off the Elite and smiled in satisfaction. She went off to find Hikari.

"…" The Elite student pursed his lips and stormed away.

~x~x~

"Satoshi-Kun," Katsu called out.

"Oh, Midorikawa-Sensei… Did you come here to watch the competition?" Satoshi was sitting in the audience area.

Katsu nodded, taking a seat next to Satoshi. "You know, I'm still surprised that you have a condition of not participating in the competition."

Satoshi shrugged, smiling. "I've told this to Hikaru and Jun this morning. Let's just say that I have this condition for… certain purposes." He stood up and dusted his pants. "Midorikawa-Sensei, do you mind holding my spot for me? I forgot my bag of snacks."

"Um, don't you mean 'a snack'?"

"Hm? Of course not! I saved up a totally huge bag of snacks I could eat while the competition goes on!" Satoshi excitedly exclaimed. "I'll be right back, I promise!"

Katsu's jaw slightly dropped. He felt slightly nauseous at the thought of how enormous Satoshi's bag was. "I'll never be able understand that boy…" He watched Takeshi check the participating teams. He still couldn't find Shinji anywhere. "Shinji-Kun, where are you?"

"Team Kouhei…" Takeshi went over the list of teams that were participating in the competition. He made sure that all teammates were present. He checked them as present. He then moved on to Hikari and Jun. "Team Shinji…?"

Hikari gulped. "Ta-Takeshi-Sensei, please give him five more minutes. I'm sure he's coming!"

"Yeah, that's right, that's right!" Jun agreed. "I got the feeling that Shinji will appear any minute! C'mon, Takeshi-Sensei! Please, just wait for five more minutes!"

Takeshi held his stare on them. "Alright. I'll give him until I'm done checking all the teams. If he doesn't come when I'm done, Team Shinji will not be participating."

Meanwhile, Shinji was in his dorm. He changed into the given uniform for the competition. He gently touched the wound on his waist and his dominant arm. "Damn… I just hope I get through this." His eyes seemed to emit a dark aura as he thought about the main opponent. "I'm sure that bastard is planning something."

He left the dorm room and made his way to the competition grounds. However, he got ambushed on the way. Someone shoved him when he turned around a corner. He stumbled, almost losing his balance. At that moment, a pair of soldiers pinned his hands to his back.

Shinji's eyes widened as he saw Saturn and Mars before him. "Alright, hold him still." Saturn pulled out a scroll and opened it next to him. Shinji saw a somewhat vague portrait of the Dream Messenger. They didn't catch his true face, so they only drew his eyes along with the mask. "He looks somewhat similar, doesn't he?"

Mars placed her hands on her hips. "Hey! That's Prince Reiji's little brother, you know. Can't you at least pay attention to who you're capturing?"

"What do you think you're doing?" Shinji eerily asked. "Release me at once, you petty soldiers. Do you have a death wish or something?" He held back the strong urge to hiss at the sharp pain that struck his arm.

Saturn averted his eyes to the soldiers. "Release him immediately." The soldiers let go of Shinji's hands, apologizing for their outright disrespect. "Prince Shinji, I apologize for accusing you to be the Dream Messenger."

"Oh… What's this…?"

Everyone turned around to see a slightly surprised Satoshi near the opposite corner.

Shinji's brows slightly furrowed together. "Satoshi…?"

Satoshi crossed his arms, smiling. "How strange. I was wondering why I felt a threatening aura from here." His usual bright smile turned into a small frown. His aura also changed immediately. "But… what I want to know is why the military is wandering around this area. This is forbidden to anyone of the kingdom, other than Prince Reiji."

His sweet chocolate-brown eyes were suddenly looking quite bitter.

Shinji watched the soldiers back away from him. Satoshi grabbed Shinji's arm and pulled Shinji to him.

"If you don't disappear within 5 seconds, my big mouth _just_ might slip something out to Prince Reiji," Satoshi threatened. "5… 4…" The army rushed and scattered away from the two students. "Well… that's been taken care of." His usual big smile appeared again as he walked over to Shinji. "Hey, you alright?"

Shinji turned his head away. "Pfft."

Satoshi raised a brow at Shinji. "What are you laughing at?"

"A serious personality doesn't match you at all," Shinji chuckled. "But I guess you can look somewhat scary enough to scare people." He sighed and dusted his shoulders. "Thanks for the save. Did you come to get something?"

"Yeah, I wanted to get my bag of snacks." He stepped aside to reveal a bag that was so large that Satoshi couldn't wrap his own arms around it! "The competition is gonna last for a few days after all."

Shinji's brow twitched. He also felt a little nauseous at how many snacks there were. "You are… insane…"

Satoshi stuck his tongue out. "It's not that bad!" He stared at Shinji, who seemed preoccupied with something else. Satoshi sighed, "Don't overexert yourself, m'kay? Let's go. Hikaru and Jun are waiting for you."

~x~x~

Takeshi was about to be done with checking the participating teams. There were only five teams left, and Hikari and Jun were beginning to panic.

Fifth team…

Fourth team…

Third team…

Second team…

Last team…

Hikari held her hands together on her chest. _I believe in senpai…_

Takeshi came back to check on Hikari and Jun. "Is Murasaki Shinji present?"

Jun shut his eyes.

Hikari held her hands even tighter.

An evil smirk spread across Kouhei's face.

"Murasaki Shinji," a voice called, "is present." Hikari and Jun wheeled around to see none other than Shinji, scratching the back of his head. He looked at Jun's stunned expression and Hikari's sparkling eyes. "What…? You look like I just saved you from death."

"Shinji-Senpai!" Hikari happily called. "You're here!"

Jun sighed in relief. "Jeez, you gave us a real big scare."

Takeshi smiled and checked Hikari's team. "Team Shinji, present." He made his way to the front, where Reiji was waiting. "Prince Reiji, the stage is all yours."

Reiji nodded. "Thank you, Takeshi." He stepped forward. "Students of Tobari Academy, in a few moments, the Yumi・Katana Competition will begin." He took a second to look at the determined faces of the teams. "There will be many rounds until the final two teams remain. Judging from how many teams there are, the competition will last for a week."

Hikari unconsciously grabbed Shinji's sleeve. Shinji noticed and tapped her hand. "Don't get scared now. It's only a week."

"Sorry, senpai. But I'm not scared." Her eyes seemed to light up. "I'm actually looking forward to this."

Shinji smirked. "Alright, don't get that excited."

"First, the archers will shoot an arrow towards a target. The score will determine which team will get the first move," Takeshi explained. "Then, the battle will begin. Archers can only slow the opponent, including the opposing archer, down. Archers will not be allowed to be defeated. The swordsmen will have to defeat the opposing team's swordsmen. The only way to defeat them is with these final moves: gently press the blade or tip against their neck or point the tip at their heart."

"Second, you will get a foul if you step out of the boundary line. The battlefield is fairly big, so I suppose it'll be fine. Two fouls will equal your defeat."

"Third, the medics and I will be here to heal any injuries. Please speak up if you are in pain, no matter how small it is."

"Last, those who already know how to summon, you are absolutely forbidden to use the technique."

"Now then," Reiji smiled, "let's get this competition started!" He pointed to the board of teams. There was a map of which team was going to go against what. Hikari scanned the map, searching for their name. She found it and they were going to battle against Team Kazuki.

"Hikaru!"

Hikari turned to see Kengo. "Ah! Hey! Who are your teammates?"

Kengo stepped aside to reveal his teammates. "He is Ichiro Rentorar (Luxray). He's one of your senpai." One had dark brown hair with bangs brushed to the right. He tied his hair into a low ponytail. He seemed to be the archer.

"Pleased to meet you." Ichiro slightly bowed his head. "I hope we can face each other in one of the rounds."

"And this guy is Akira Tekkanin (Ninjask). He's the same age as us." Akira had somewhat spiky and black hair. He was one of the katana wielders.

"What's up? Let's have a good and fair competition!"

"Oh! Let me introduce you to our team."

Akira laughed. "There's no need to! Your team is pretty famous now!" He crossed his arms, smirking. "Didn't you hear about how your team got so well known?"

Ichiro leaned on a wooden pillar. "Your team became well known after you challenged Team Kouhei. Haven't you heard anyone talking about you guys?" He chuckled at Hikari's slightly embarrassed face. "Seems you haven't."

"Well, now you know!" Kengo smiled. "Anyways, see you!" His team left to take their place. Apparently, they were going to be the first team to go.

~x~x~

"And the winner is Team Kengo!" Takeshi declared.

Kengo's team cheered as the audience applauded for their victory. The opposing team seemed a bit disappointed, but they kept a smile. The teams shook hands with each other and went their separate ways.

Hikari couldn't help but stare with her mouth open. It seemed as if they were fighting like they were in a war! Jun smirked and patted her back. "You might think that it's tough, but it'll feel like a simple game when the adrenaline rushes to your head."

"… I swear the battlefield was like a war…" she squeaked. "And you're telling me that it'll feel like a game?"

Shinji glanced at the blunette. "You shouldn't focus on one thing. You have to notice your surroundings and even the tiniest change in your opponent's techniques."

"Alright," she sighed. Hikari took a deep breath and gently slapped her cheeks. "I'll be fine now!" She noticed Kengo's team coming back from the medical tent. "Hey, Kengo! How did it feel?"

Kengo gave her a thumbs-up. "It felt awesome! Hey, did you see how we did? They were so overwhelmed!"

Jun smirked, placing a hand on Ichiro's shoulder. "You did excellent, Ichiro! It looks like I have a lot to learn from you, huh?"

Ichiro shrugged and grinned. "Don't be saying that, Jun-Kun. I've seen you practice by yourself, you know." He rubbed Jun's head.

"Looks like it'll be a while before you guys go up, huh?" Akira sighed. "I really wanna see you guys in action, though! It'd be so cool!" He seemed to be imagining just how Team Shinji's battle was going to go. Kengo's team went to their seats and sat down.

"We'll just have to see about that." A small smirk seemed to show on Shinji's face. "Knowing this idiot here, he probably won't let us fail him."

Jun chuckled with his arms crossed. "Oh please… If it's Shinji, he's scarier than Hikaru!" He scratched his head. "Hmmm… I wonder if he met _her_ before."

Shinji's eye twitched. "… Oh, I've met her." He suddenly sneezed out of nowhere. "She wasn't exactly as helpless as I thought she was."

Hikari nervously averted her eyes to another direction. "U-uh, is that so? How was she not "exactly as helpless"?"

"I'm not talking about this any further. End of discussion," Shinji replied. "Just go over our strategy while we watch."

~x~x~

It was soon Team Kouhei's battle. They were against a group of medium-ranked students. The leader was a Seadra, one was a Delibird, and the other was a Yomawaru (Duskull).

Hikari leaned forward from her chair, anticipating how Team Kouhei will battle.

"Team Kouhei vs. Team Daisuke, begin the match!"

Shigeru and one of Team Daisuke's teammates took out an arrow and pointed at the target. They pulled back the string of the bow, stayed still for a moment, and shot the arrow. Shigeru shot eight points, while his opponent shot six points. The next four shots seemed to pass in a flash. Shigeru won the first move for his team.

Kouhei switched to his Yadoking form. He raised his sword as a blue orb of energy formed at the tip. He then threw it at his opponents. This all had happened in an instant.

The opponents dodged the attack and split. However, Takuto was quicker than they thought. He fired a DragonBreath on Seadra, who was thrown back on the ground. Fortunately, the Seadra opponent jumped away in time before he had a sword by his neck.

The Seadra used Brine by suddenly shooting a stream of water from his mouth. He aimed towards Kouhei, who seemed to be waiting for the attack. "Twister!" The fins on his back moved and a twister began to form. He directed it to his sword to aim it at Kouhei.

The Elite simply smirked. "Too slow." His eyes began to glow light blue and then the twister was surrounded by the same glow. Kouhei then directed the attack towards Delibird, while Takuto clashed swords with Seadra.

Delibird was engulfed by the twister and carried away by the strong winds. Seadra was having trouble holding back Takuto.

Jun's eyes widened. "What the…? Those guys are getting creamed by Team Kouhei!" Hikari also stood up from her seat to take a closer look.

Shinji narrowed his eyes. "They're not taking this seriously," he muttered.

Hikari bit her lower lip. "Shinji-Senpai is right… Team Kouhei…" Her hand tightened into a fist. "They're not attacking with full power… They're just fooling around with them."

"What…?" Jun looked back at the battle and noticed something. While Seadra's arms were trembling from trying to hold back Takuto, Takuto was barely even trembling! He simply gazed at the troubled face. Jun gripped the rail. "If that's not their full power, then that means-!"

"They'll probably get to the finals easily," Shinji finished. "All this time, they were placed in the finals to go against the final team. But now that Kouhei was finally called out – especially by a junior – they decided to get serious."

Hikari laughed nervously. "I couldn't help it. He was starting was piss me off for once."

When Delibird fell from the sky, he didn't have time to even get up. Kouhei grabbed his collar and held him up, holding the tip of his sword against his neck. Takeshi blew into a whistle to signal that one was defeated. "One down… One more to go." Kouhei glanced at Takuto, who jumped back from almost getting slashed.

Takuto glanced at Kouhei, who nodded at him. He leapt into the air and his body suddenly emitted a very bright light, blinding almost everyone near the battle ground. (Can you guess what this move is?) Seadra tried to see through the light, but it was useless. Kouhei had already gotten him before the light faded.

Shigeru smirked, crossing his arms. "Way too easy." He looked at the opposing archer, who had a can't-help-it face expression and shrugged. "Is that how far your training took you?" Yomawaru looked at him in slight surprise. "Yeah… You're a Medium-rank and you can't even stop my teammates? I think that shows how bad your training is, don't ya think?"

Yomawaru glared at him hard. "Well, we certainly didn't expect to go against your team. Why don't you get the fuck out of my sight?"

"Ooh, how scary." Shigeru chuckled smugly. "Whatever. Smell ya later." He went down the stairs and met with his team.

Takuto sheathed his sword. "So this is going to take a while." He sat down along with Kouhei and Shigeru.

"Tch, I really don't get why _we_ have to go against these guys. Can't they just place us in the finals and make us battle the final team like the previous years?" Shigeru scoffed.

Kouhei adjusted his glasses. "That can't do, Shigeru. We should at least strike some fear in _his_ team, after all." He smirked and chuckled. "We'll show them just how powerful Team Kouhei is."

Yes, they have shown their power. Hikari and Jun were left with their mouths hanging open. Their battle had taken less than ten minutes!

"Oh…" Hikari mumbled.

"… Shit…" Jun growled. "Are they serious? That's really not their whole power?"

Shinji nodded. "That's right. I've seen their true power, and it's not as pretty as you think it is." He glanced at the still-stunned Hikari and Jun. "Close your mouths already and focus. We'll be up in less than an hour."

They gulped and reviewed their plan in their heads. They couldn't afford to back out now. Team Shinji had to make it to the finals or it was all over.

Just like Shinji said, they were up in less than an hour. They were finally going to battle in the competition.

"Jun, you can do this!" Hikari cheered. "With that determination of yours, I'm sure we'll be determined too!" She patted him on the shoulder before stepping off the platform with Shinji.

The blonde took a deep breath and approached the opposing team's archer. "Let's have a fair battle!" He pumped up a fist with a grin. The opposing archer grinned and gave Jun a thumbs-up.

"Good luck, dude."

They prepared to battle, getting their determination and spirits up.

What they didn't realize was that not only did their training pay off, but their teamwork was perfect and well-coordinated.

~.~.~

_A/N: Hey, guys, I'm very sorry for updating so late. But hey, we're in our sophomore years. It's going to get harder next year for us, so we'll probably be updating much late. That is why I let Hana make up some questions for this chapter and future chapters._

_**Questions**_

_What did you think of this chapter?  
Do you think something was implied in the last line? (SO obvious) If so, what did you think it was?  
Who do you think Team Shinji will battle before battling Team Kouhei? (Ichi: If you get it right, I'll take one of your ideas into the next chapter.)  
Wasn't Team Kouhei's battle too fast? (Ichi: Hey, they're Elites. They should end it in an instant. =.=)  
How would you like to come up with some battle strategies for Team Shinji? 8'D  
Would you like to make suggestions for future chapters? (Ichi: No need to suggest "put other shipping moments too")  
_

_**Ultimate Question:**__ Do you want shorter chapters so this story can be updated once every month? Or do you want the same amount of words per chapter but updated much later (ex. once every two months)?_


	9. The Perfect Team

_A/N: Hey, everyone. I know this has been a very late chapter, but I've been doing a lot of work lately. Everyone's reviews motivated me out of my writer's block too. I thank you very much for that. _

_Also, Happy Birthday to evea34._

**Tobari Shinobi: Shinou Scandal  
CH 9: The Perfect Team**

"Team Shinji vs. Team Ryuu! Commence battle!" Takeshi blew his whistle and quickly stepped back.

Team Ryuu seemed powerful, considering their types. The two sword-wielders, Ryuu and Shinichi, were partly dragon types, while the archer, Mikio, was a steel type. The teams faced each other and bowed.

Jun and Mikio faced the targets ahead of the sword-wielders. They pulled back on the string, calculated their aim, and shot their arrow. It was close, but the opponent scored one more point than Jun!

The blonde held back the urge to break into his usual tantrum and focused on the battle that began as soon as the scores were announced. "Tch…"

Shinichi and Toshiro sprinted, almost flying, towards Shinji and Hikari, their blade gleaming against the sun. It was a solar beam. The move enhanced the strength of their attacks against the two. Several sounds of metal scraping against each other filled the battlefield. Hikari managed to fend off the attacks swiftly. Shinji was able to dodge easily.

Shinji still remembered not to overexert himself. It was hard trying to dodge his opponent without raising his katana.

"Heads up!" Jun shouted. He shot two arrows at Ryuu and Shinichi, preventing them from stepping any closer.

This time, it was Shinji and Hikari's turn to attack. They exchanged glances and smirked. Gathering power into one foot, they crouched low on the ground. Within a second, they were shooting themselves toward the opponents. Swords clashed with powerful impact.

"Keep going!" Shinji exclaimed.

They attacked Ryuu and Shinichi continuously without even pausing. Ryuu and Shinichi were staggering back from the dexterity and strength. "As expected of Team Shinji, huh, Ryuu?" Shinichi barely dodged Hikari's last attack, causing her to slip past him.

Ryuu grinned, reflecting Shinji's sword back. Shinji jumped back before receiving another injury. "Yeah, your team is strong, no doubt!" Ryuu aimed his sword at Shinji. "Let's just see if that strength will last."

Shinji cocked a brow. He didn't smirk nor frown. He looked neutral as he struck his sword on the ground. "Try it." Right when Ryuu was a foot away, that's when Shinji began to smirk. "Haze!" Shinji breathed black mist around the battlefield, causing zero visibility.

Meanwhile, Hikari was struggling with Shinichi. His blade was just inches away from her neck. She wasn't fazed. Before the Haze reached them, her deep blue eyes looked up at Shinichi and murmured a word, "Mist." A large cloud of icy, white mist was spewed from her mouth as she fended Shinichi off. The battlefield was covered in the thick mist.

Inside, the temperature dropped with the two mists blending together.

Ryuu and Shinichi couldn't see anything at all. All they saw was darkness and ice. Sadly to say, they did not realize that Shinji and Hikari were between them.

"Aurora Beam." Hikari called as she gracefully danced in a circle around Shinji and her. Her sword was covered with Aurora Beam, making an ice barrier from the mist it touched.

The two opponents followed their voices. They both ended up smashing their face against the ice. They even tried to break the ice down, but it was no use. Hikari's ice barrier became stronger than before. The two didn't know it was made of ice; all they knew was that there was a "wall" and it was cold.

"I got this!" Shinichi declared. "Defog!" He pointed his sword at the ice and a whirlwind blew towards it. It cleared the mist away, revealing Shinji and Hikari back-to-back. They pointed their swords at Ryuu and Shinichi.

"Dark Pulse."

"Psychic!"

Shinji shot a beam of black rings as Hikari's Psychic gave it more power. Ryuu and Shinichi were hit and thrown back. Shinji and Hikari used this opportunity to defeat them. The next thing everyone saw was Ryuu and Shinichi with swords touching their neck.

The match was now over.

Takeshi blew the whistle to cue the end of the battle. "Team Ryuu has been defeated. Therefore, Team Shinji is the winner!" The audience broke out into applause and cheering. It was a good show that Team Shinji put on.

Hikari and Shinji helped their opponents up. They bowed to each other and exchanged congratulatory greetings.

"You did great, Shinji-Senpai," Ryuu complimented, "I should've expected our loss, but hey, it was worth the training!"

"Yeah, that way, we can become even stronger!" Shinichi turned to Hikari. "Honestly, I didn't think a newbie like you would be able to defeat me so easily! It's not an insult!"

Hikari smiled in joy and laughed. "I know! I doubted my skills so much during the round! But I still have more training to do! If I couldn't even overwhelm you, that doesn't mean anything! You're really strong, Shinichi-Senpai!"

Shinichi chuckled and scratched his head. "Eh… I'm not really… but thanks."

Before Hikari could say anymore, Shinji dragged her away from them. "That's enough greeting for now. We'll see you later." He felt a small squeeze somewhere in his chest, but he didn't know what it meant. He approached Jun and nodded in approval. "Your archery has improved immensely, Jun. I'm actually impressed."

Jun was grinning in ecstasy. "Are you serious? Damn, I actually impressed you? No way!"

"Great job, Jun! I knew you had it in ya!" Hikari and Jun fist-bumped.

"Ha! No biggie! This was nothing!" He turned to Mikio, who seemed disappointed. "Cheer up, Mikio. You did your best, and that's all it matters! I'm sure your teammates won't blame you!"

Mikio looked more relieved and smiled at Jun. "Thanks, Jun. You're a really good guy… Anyways, I'll be going. Thanks for the great match." He saluted and hopped off the platform to meet with his team.

Hikari's knees suddenly gave in. "I can't… stand…"

Shinji smirked. "It's because of the sudden rush of adrenaline. It seemed like you enjoyed the match. How was it, being your first time?"

"It was… really… exciting," she slowly breathed, "but… it's really hard… to try standing up… at the moment."

"Pfft." A strange sound was heard between the three. They all seemed a little surprised.

"You just laughed, didn't you?" Jun asked Shinji.

Shinji had a straight face on. "No I didn't. Why would I laugh?"

"Uh, what do you mean? I know it wasn't me who laughed." Jun glanced at Hikari. "And I'm pretty sure Hikaru didn't laugh either. He looks more tired than amused." He accusingly pointed at Shinji. "So it's obvious that it's you who laughed."

"I didn't laugh." Shinji firmly stated. He then offered a hand to Hikari. "Get up. It's time for the next match." Jun also offered a hand. Hikari took them both and stood up. "Get some rest. You'll need it for the next round. You can never know who might be against us next."

"I know, Senpai…" Hikari drawled. "But wow, that took a lot of energy. Do you think Satoshi-Senpai would share some of his snacks?"

At that moment, the three looked at where Satoshi was. He was snacking on a bag of chips as he waited for them to come over. They all sweatdropped at the life-sized bag of snacks next to him.

"I'm sure he'll be willing to share a bag of something," Shinji muttered. "Let's go." They went back to their designated seats and watched the next match. And yes, Satoshi gave Hikari a few (unexpectedly) healthy snacks to regain her energy.

~x~x~

"Did you see that?" Shigeru exclaimed. "The match was over before 15 minutes! It usually takes more than 20 for other teams!" He took a glance at Kouhei. "At this rate, we really might be their opponents for the final battle. What do you think, Kouhei?"

The dark green-haired elite nudged his glasses up. "I say that we give them a hard time as much as possible – with any method we can use." A devious smirk had spread to his face as he chuckled. He turned to the man behind him. "Start thinking, Harley. You'll be in charge of the schemes."

Harley shrugged and grinned widely at Team Shinji. "Heh, I think this will be fun. I won't disappoint ya."

Takuto pursed his lips skeptically. _Whatever Kouhei's up to, _he thought, _it's not good._ As much as he wanted to stop his teammate, something told him he should watch and see what happens. "What do you think, Latios?" he asked.

Latios looked at Takuto with uncertain eyes. _"Why don't we see first and then decide whether to stop them or not?"_ he suggested, _"It's the only good idea I can think of."_

"If you say so…" Takuto raised his head and watched the other matches with a grim expression.

The day went by with a quick lunch break and more matches.

Team Shinji and Satoshi were sitting in the opposite side of Team Kouhei. They were focused on the battles, except Shinji, analyzing almost every strategy and technique. Shinji shook his head and brought his palms down on Jun and Hikari's heads.

"What are you so serious about? It's not like we'll be able to use every one of those strategies. Relax, you two."

Hikari rubbed her head. "Ow, that hurt! Besides, you can never know what we might learn, right?" she protested. "Geez, it's you who should be watching these so you can teach us, shouldn't it?"

Jun tapped his pencil on his lip. He was holding a pamphlet and a notepad. More than half the teams were eliminated from the competition. That meant that the first round was about to be over. There were only about five matches left. "It's not much, but I think I got a lot of combo strategies from watching these."

"Is that so?" Shinji raised a brow. "Why don't you tell me your ideas later on? We can try practicing them, if they're any good."

Hikari rolled her eyes as she smiled. "Of course… Jun's able to these kinds of things. It's quite common for him to think of strategies all the time."

Jun didn't answer. He was scribbling down whatever he thought of in the little notepad.

_These must be the only times Jun _isn't_ screaming and flailing around,_ Shinji humorously thought. "How are you feeling, Hikaru? Is your energy replenished?"

"Of course! I've never felt better! Although, I still do have that little knot in my stomach from all that excitement."

Satoshi nudged Hikari's arm. "I don't mean to get off-topic, but aren't you really hot?" He realized that Hikari was still wearing all her clothes while mostly everyone took at least one or two layers off. "You've probably sweated the amount of a whole day's worth of training!"

Now that he mentioned it, Hikari felt the extreme heat wave that was lingering in the air. _Damn it, Satoshi-Senpai shouldn't have mentioned it!_ The more she thought about it, the hotter she got. She shook her head. _No, no, no! I have to endure it! I can't get my identity revealed like this!_

"…" Satoshi snickered and chewed on a piece of candy.

Jun cocked a brow at Hikari. "You sure, Hikaru? I mean, at least take that top layer off. You wouldn't want to look bad in front of the audience, would ya?"

The blond was somewhat true. Seeing a sweaty and sluggish participant, that had won a match, was someone one wouldn't want to look at. Hikari sighed and hesitantly took the top off, revealing the shoulder-sleeved uniform underneath. She was able to breathe more and felt the cool breeze against her arms. It was a good feeling.

As soon as the first round of matches was over, Takeshi blew the whistle to cue the end. "Thank you to all the teams that participated in this competition! To those who've won, please proceed to the bulletin board to my right to see the teams you'll be going against! The next round will be two days later!" He pointed to the wooden board to his right, showing the scroll with the winning teams.

Reiji stood up from his seat. "To those who have lost… Please do not feel disappointed. I have seen your matches and thought they were very wonderful to see! You were powerful in your own way! Do not deem your power and strength as worthless, for it is the greatest thing to hold!" He clapped his hands. "I have reserved a hot springs for you to enjoy afterwards. This is your award."

After a speech, the winning teams crowded around the board to see who they were fighting against.

When a team found out they were going against Team Kouhei, they looked disappointed and frustrated. They weren't to blame. If Team Kouhei was like this in the first round, there was no way one would beat them at this rate.

Hikari managed to make her way to the front of the board and looked for 'Team Shinji'. Her eyes widened at the team against them. "Ke… Kengo…"

"Yeah, it's gonna be a tough match, Hikaru." Kengo appeared behind Hikari and patted her shoulder. "We may be childhood friends, but I'm not gonna go easy on you." He gave her an optimistic grin and left.

The blunette sighed. "Of all teams, why Kengo's…?" She knew that Kengo's partner was Palkia, the Pokémon of Space. Palkia was an equal to Dialga, who was with Jun, but she didn't know how this was going to turn out. In the books, they said that a fight between Dialga and Palkia was to bring catastrophe. "Maybe Prince Reiji might do something…"

"I'm sure he will." Shinji then appeared from the shadows behind Hikari, scaring the daylights out of her. "Aniki's partner is Arceus after all. He can do anything." He rolled his eyes as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "I don't know why he never used the power for his own purpose. At least once would be okay, really."

Hikari smiled at Shinji. "C'mon, Shinji-Senpai… You're a prince. You should be able to understand that a prince shouldn't be selfish and should care for the people."

"Too much selflessness, much?" he muttered.

She laughed and walked back to Jun with Shinji. "Oh well."

~x~x~

Later that night, all the teams were at their dorms after dinner. The winning teams planned out their match for tomorrow. As for the others, they simply enjoyed a nice time in the hot springs Prince Reiji had reserved for them.

Team Shinji was in their dorm, their futon mattresses arranged into a circle.

Jun was explaining the combination techniques he came up with during the day. He drew multiple maps of these combos. Hikari only watched them figure it out.

"What do you think, Shinji?" Jun asked. "My strategies are pretty awesome, don't you think?"

Shinji stayed silent for a few seconds. "I'm impressed by how quickly you came with these just by watching other teams." He gestured to the strategy papers. "But I can see a few flaws in them. Maybe we can improvise them and discard the ones that seem obvious." He averted his attention to Hikari. "Oi, are you going to help or not?"

Hikari perked up. "U-um… I can't really help with these kinds of things. I've always been horrible at them." She smiled nervously. "But I am willing to give some suggestions, if possible."

"Say as much as you want. We'll just have to see if it's good or not."

"I was thinking… maybe instead of this, we should try this at the beginning." Hikari drew and erased some things to show her point. "I'm not quite sure if this might work, but it's one of my ideas."

Shinji and Jun's eyes lit up. "This is actually a good plan," Shinji admitted, "We might be able to use this with a bit of practice." He smirked and rubbed Hikari's head. "Good job."

"Amazing! Just one idea changed this whole strategy into an awesome plan!" Jun slapped Hikari's back. "But geez, you're actually doing better than me? I'm gonna fine you for that!"

Hikari blushed and smiled. "It's nothing…"

A thought appeared into Shinji and Jun's heads and lingered there for a while. Warmth spread to their cheeks as they awkwardly looked away from her. "Uh, yeah."

"Anyways," Shinji coughed, "let's save this for later. We may need it for one of the battles."

"Here, I'll mark it with an O." Jun marked the paper to save and set it down. Hikari furrowed her brows at Jun. The blonde winked at her. She then knew. "I don't have much other stuff here, but let's try to make the best out of it, hm?"

That whole night, they strategized and marked for practice tomorrow. It wasn't until all three of them fell asleep from exhaustion on the spot.

Hikari woke up some time later and saw the two boys sleeping before her eyes. She giggled and stood up. A blanket she was covered with slid off her back. A small and warm smile was on her face as she got their blankets from the drawers. She covered them with their blankets and picked up the papers. She fell asleep first, so they must've discussed it a little more. Everything was marked whether it should be used or not.

"It'll be a great practice tomorrow… I'm sure of it."

She looked outside the door and walked outside. The moon looked beautiful that night. Despite it being a tiny sliver of light, it seemed to brighten the night. A smirk spread across her frame. "Heh… Let's see what will happen."

~x~x~

That next day was like the strangest practice for Team Shinji.

Team Shinji was practicing in their usual spot in the forest. Nothing much happened until an hour later. Hikari was sparring with Shinji and was thrown back by a counter-attack. She attempted to use the nearby tree branch to bounce back. However, when the momentum of her landing put the pressure on the branch, it snapped immediately.

"Hm?" She didn't even fly towards Shinji. She lost her momentum and was diving towards the ground. She managed to catch herself by throwing her sword at the dirt and landing on the hilt. Hikari ignored the event and continued the spar.

"…"

Next, Shinji was performing a technique that Jun can use for the match tomorrow. He was just about to release the arrow… until he felt something hit his head. He looked up to find a pile of pine cones falling towards him. "Watch. This is a perfect example," he said as he pointed several arrows at the pine cones.

Shinji released the arrows. They pierced every pine cone that was falling and changed its course of direction. They fell around Shinji and Jun. One extra arrow had hit a branch above the tree.

"!"

Jun cocked a brow. "Did you hear something?"

The two listened for anything weird. "I don't. Just try practicing this technique. It'll be crucial for multiple attacks."

Later, Jun was swimming in the river to catch some fish to eat. He was just about to catch a large one… until a rock almost crushed his hand. He pulled his hand back before the rock landed on it. "Hey! This is great!" He took the fish that was underneath the rock and placed it in a basket. "This must be my lucky day!"

He looked up at the waterfall in front of him. "Huh, it must've been carried by the strong current. Oh well!" He continued his hunt for lunch.

Somewhere on top of the waterfall, there was a faint sound of frustrated stomping.

During lunch, the three were eating the cooked fish that Jun caught.

"Just one more day and we'll be battling against Kengo's team!" Hikari looked excited for the match. "I can't wait!"

"I think we've accomplished most of the strategies we came up with. All we need to do is remember which is which." Shinji took a bite of the fish. His ears then perked up. He then sighed. "Hikaru, mind using Aurora Beam above you?"

Hikari blinked in confusion but did so anyways. She looked at the sky and shot a multi-colored beam. The beam hit something and solidified it. It was _ice_.

"Move!" Jun and Shinji both grabbed Hikari's arms and pulled her away from her doom. The ice struck the ground and shattered into pieces. Another piece of ice landed in a nearby bush. "Phew, that was close… You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you for saving me, you two." She sat up and sweatdropped at the sight of shattered ice. "What happened, Shinji-Senpai? Did I freeze a whole cloud?"

Shinji crossed his arms and shrugged. "I don't know either. I just heard water and that was it." He scratched the back of his head. "Maybe a Pokémon dropped its water supply…" Everyone ate the rest of their lunch while staring blankly at the glistening ice.

"Mmph! Mmph!" A sudden outcry was heard from the bush nearby. They rushed over to find a human trapped in the ice!

"Uh-oh…" Jun muttered.

"Alright, let's try to get him out." Shinji unsheathed his sword and struck the ice with it. "Oi, Hikaru, help me here." Hikari then helped Shinji crack the ice away. With every strike, the person inside yelped in fright. When they finally got him out, they realized it was Harley! "… What are you doing?"

"That's what I should be asking you!" Harley retorted. "Why would you shoot an Aurora Beam out of nowhere? I simply dropped my water bottle, and what do I get?" He sneezed and shivered from the temperature he was in previously. "You people are insane!"

Shinji was silent.

Jun shook his head. "Well, if that was it, get out of here. We're training."

Harley glared at the three and disappeared outside.

Hikari snorted, and then broke into laughter. "I knew it. I knew we'd break him before today ended!" She sighed in satisfaction. "What did I tell ya? I told you something was wrong."

"It's all because you have sharp eyes," Shinji remarked. "If you hadn't seen him while you were falling, there's no telling what kind of information he would've gotten from us."

Jun grinned and snickered. "But to think that we were able to pull the act off while he was trying to prank us! I say this is a good deceiving strategy, don't you think?"

"Honestly, I kind of knew since last night." Hikari scratched her cheek. "I felt a presence outside our dorm while we were sleeping. I didn't see who it was, but I did know that someone was trying to sneak into our room." She gave them a huge grin and a wink. "We're lucky that I woke up, huh?"

A tiny and colorful bubble seemed to twirl around in the atmosphere of Shinji and Jun.

"Yeah, we're… really lucky."

The rest of the day passed slowly as they continued their training.

~x~x~

"Damn it!" Harley exclaimed. "Today was a total failure!"

Shigeru rolled his eyes. "It's because you can't even do a good job properly. I'm pretty sure one of them already saw you." He then smirked. "I'm certain I would've done better than you, but I gotta train."

"Plus, what kind of schemes were you trying to pull off? You have _hurt_ them to the point where they have to forfeit," Kouhei chuckled darkly.

"E-eh?" Shigeru was caught off-guard. "Why… Why would we hurt them? That's cheating, Kouhei."

"Exactly." Kouhei adjusted his glasses up. "Why exhaust them when we can render them useless? It'll show them who's the boss here!" He laughed in a superior way. "They'll be too frightened to even face me!"

Takuto turned his head to Kouhei. "No. We are not using any methods to hurt them whatsoever." He grabbed Kouhei's attention by gripping Kouhei's wrist. "Hurting competitors to make them forfeit is the dirtiest strategy to intimidate them. You know that, Kouhei!"

"Let go of me, you insolent-!" Kouhei slapped Takuto's hand away. "I know that completely, Takuto. That's why I'm using it. It's time for me to let people, especially that weak blue-haired bastard, know that I'm not joking about this."

"Kouhei!" Takuto firmly called. "You may be intelligent and cunning, but that doesn't mean you talk like that to your own senpai." He narrowed his deep red eyes at his kouhai. "If I ever hear a single word about you hurting him, you won't know what I will do."

There was extreme tension between Kouhei and Takuto. Shigeru and Harley were slightly cowering at how serious they were. It was as if an attempted try of compromise would be enough to make them try killing each other.

If only a certain brunette medic didn't overhear this conversation, Kouhei may have gotten away with his schemes.

"Hikari…!" She returned to the medical facility, mortified by what was waiting for Hikari. The brunette burst into their room, where everyone were studying and preparing first-aid equipment. "Girls, we have trouble! Hikari's in danger!"

~x~x~

_A/N: Team Shinji vs. Team Kengo will be in the next chapter, I promise. I just need enough time to create the perfect battle for them. I am hoping that you liked this chapter. And since many likes updates every month, each chapter will be about this much words. Sorry to the ones who wanted more, but I think this is so you guys and I won't get bored of this._

_Once again…_

_Happy Birthday, evea34._


	10. Team Shinji vs Team Kengo

_A/N: Hey everyone. I'm late, I apologize. But I do have a life, you know. Keep that in mind. I won't be able to do updates, even if I did start summer vacation. So even if I don't update monthly, don't put pressure on me. Or else, I WILL start flipping tables._

_However, this is the one thing I have to apologize for: I totally forgot about FF. Sorry, everyone!_

**Tobari Shinobi: Shinou Scandal  
CH 10: Team Shinji vs. Team Kengo**

Rays of light pierced the dawn sky. The nocturnal creatures had gone to sleep and daylight creatures began to wander about, still half-asleep. That was for the Pokémon anyway. Tobari Shinobi Academy was overfilled with anxiety.

It was as if time turned back. The feeling of reminiscence lingered among the three shinobi as they remembered their childhood. They faced each other and smiled. Their match was sending them to the past, where they always played and messed with each other. It was a warm feeling.

But the fact that they were to go all out with their powers slightly made them uncomfortable.

Hikari breathed nervously. "I'm starting to feel these matches are set up." She tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword, the tied strips of fabric feeling rougher against her skin.

Jun scratched his cheek. "Yeah… It can't be helped though, can it?" He sighed deeply as the two teams approached each other on the battlefield. "I heard they were going to change the battlefield's surroundings. I wonder what they mean by that. Are we going to a different location or something?" Jun was chattering away as Hikari walked in silence.

Shinji was averting his eyes away from the two, knowing how Kengo was their best friend and now going against him. "I'm not sure how to console you two, but think of it like this." He paused to steal a glance of them, seeing that they focused their full attention on him. "You're only showing that guy how much you've grown since then. It's like showing him your strength, not battling him."

He felt that Hikari and Jun relaxed a little more at his words of wisdom.

_These kids are so easy,_ Shinji amusingly thought. He stifled the laughter that was beginning to bubble up in his chest. "Ahem," he cleared his throat, "I trust you guys. We can win this, right?"

"Senpai…"

Shinji looked at Hikari, who was staring at him with happiness and hope. He felt overwhelmed by her overjoyed and bright aura that he leaned away from her. "D-don't get me wrong. We have to battle against Kouhei after all."

Jun placed a shoulder on Hikari. "C'mon, Hikaru. Let's not get tensed up and pump ourselves up!"

"You're right, we can do this!" She breathed slowly to calm down. "We've got to show off our power!"

That's what she wished to say out loud anyways. There was no way to pierce that impenetrable barrier of worry and anxiety. Not even Shinji's usual words were able to get through to her. He slapped his forehead and sighed deeply.

The two teams were finally a step away from each other.

Kengo Palkia, Ichiro Rentorar, and Akira Tekkanin. These three combined seemed like the worst team to go against. Palkia was the legendary Pokémon of _space _(no need for an explanation, honestly). Rentorar was the last evolution stage of a Kolink (Shinx), which took the appearance of a fierce lion with x-ray vision and sharp hearing. Tekkanin, a very unique opponent, was the fastest Pokémon anyone could ever encounter – for its speed was similar to that of light.

Hikari gulped, feeling so small that she could be trampled by them. Her lip quivered as if she was trying hard to hold back something. As for Jun, he was feeling more reminiscent than worried.

"Yo, Kengo."

Kengo looked at Jun with a smile. "It feels like we're back in preschool, huh?" He glanced at Hikari. "I'm not gonna go easy on you, Hikaru, even if you _are_ my childhood friend." He gave a thumbs-up. "But hey, no hard feelings."

Shinji rolled his eyes. "Sorry, but we're winning this battle." He smirked condescendingly towards Kengo, who seemed to harden his stare at Shinji. "This guy here won't allow it either. He may appear cowardly…"

"_HEY!_" Hikari retorted.

"… but his power and intelligence is a different story." A sound of fingers snapping echoed in Shinji's ears. "It looks like we're going to start." On cue, the ground rumbled and trembled as the surroundings changed. The audience area ascended to the sky while props began to appear on the battlefield. Rocks, boulders, and even the small rocks emerged from the ground.

Jaws dropped at the drastic changes. Ichiro and Shinji didn't seem fazed by it, although the others looked like they were already defeated.

"This is nothing compared to the finals," Ichiro murmured. "If you guys truly make it through all the rounds to the finals – and no doubt that Team Kouhei will be there – you'll see what it's like."

"Have you ever fought in the finals, Ichiro-Senpai?" Hikari asked.

Ichiro's face grew dark. "Oh yeah. It was before Kengo and Akira came." He fought back the urge to burst into rage. "My team was crushed by that damn Kouhei." He fell into silence as Akira placed a hand on his shoulder.

"One of senpai's teammates is in the hospital because of Kouhei-Senpai. The other is immobilized in his legs." Akira turned his head towards Kouhei and glared hard. "Ichiro-Senpai is the only survivor."

Hikari gasped and clasped her mouth. "Oh no… Kouhei-Senpai did that to your teammates?"

"Yeah," Ichiro replied. "But I'm not one to hold grudges." He cleared his mind and returned to his normal self. "This isn't gonna help me at all. Let's just have a good battle, guys."

Takeshi blew his whistle. "Team Shinji vs. Team Kengo! The rules will the same as before. The archers' results will decide the first move of each team."

Ichiro and Jun nodded at each other and jumped on the boulders that served as the platform. They pulled their bows back, took a deep breath, focused on the target, and released. The arrow shot through the wind with power, as if nothing can stop it. The arrows pierced the fabric of their targets.

"Ichiro Rentorar, 9! Jun Dialga, 7!" Takeshi blew his whistle. "You have two more shots left!"

Hikari's jaw dropped. "A… A 9?" Drops of sweat rolled down her cheek as she took in the event before her eyes. She wasn't daydreaming. Ichiro had shot his arrow one ring away from the center. As for Jun, he was three of them away! He had practiced so much before and he got a 7! "N-no way… Why can't Jun-?"

"He's nervous," Shinji answered. "One thing that can steer an archer away from his aim is his mind." He hadn't winced at the difference in score however. "It's not the right time to start wavering now." His eyes were beginning to spark a flame, a flame that wouldn't die so easily unless something completely crushed it.

"Jun…" Hikari whispered under her breath. "Let's have faith in him. But even if he doesn't win this round, he can always go all out on the next one."

…

"Ichiro Rentorar, 8! Jun Dialga, 9!"

_C'mon, Jun. You can do this!_ Satoshi thought.

Jun didn't feel satisfied with his score. He had to get a 10, at least. If he didn't, he would've felt like he lost his teammate's respect and faith.

"_Jun, that's a little exaggerating, don't you think?"_ Dialga asked. He sensed what Jun was feeling and thinking. _"They believe in you, Jun. Whether you didn't get them the first move or not, they'll never blame you."_ He nudged the blonde and nodded. _"You got that?"_

"I know, I know," Jun sighed. He smirked at his partner. "Geez, you're just like a mom."

Dialga cocked a brow at him. _"A… mom…? A lot of people may label me as genderless, but I don't really think I'd fit as a female."_

Ichiro suddenly burst into a chuckle. "To think you'd have this kind of a conversation during a match." He grinned at Jun. "You're the most interesting guy I've ever met. I think Rentorar agrees with me too." Rentorar appeared on top of his head and smiled at them. "Rentorar's a Pokémon of few words, but he does agree."

"Wow, an actual Rentorar!" Jun exclaimed as he examined it close up. "Huh, your Rentorar's actually a female! Nice to meet you, ma'am!"

Rentorar bowed her head to show her regards. _"Same here."_

Ichiro placed a hand on Jun's head. "Look, Jun, I saw that second shot there. That was amazing." At that, Jun looked slightly upset. "You have potential, blondie. It doesn't matter whether you get the first move or not. This is nothing. Shift your emotions into the second match, alright?"

"Um… sure."

…

It was the last shot. Ichiro was two points ahead of Jun. The senpai felt quite confident in his skills.

"Don't be giving up now, Jun-Kun," Ichiro encouraged. "Everything's going to begin once one of us wins." He retrieved the last arrow and placed it on the string of the bow. "Face the target like the shinobi you really are."

Jun felt moved by Ichiro's words. The blonde felt like he's gotten his confidence and self-esteem back. "Yeah, I know that. Why wouldn't I?" He grinned as he grabbed his last arrow.

The two of them pulled back the string. The feathered end of the arrow brushed against their cheeks as they held the arrow close to their lips. Jun's blood was pumping rapidly. A drop of sweat rolled down his cheeks. He breathed slowly as he focused on the center of the target. Dialga watched silently.

Everything happened in a split second. Both released their arrow. They pierced the air with great force and speed. The heads of the arrows were just inches away from the target. There was no telling what the scores were yet. The arrows struck the targets.

Everyone leaned in to see the score.

"Ichiro Rentorar, 8! Jun Dialga, 10!" Takeshi blew his whistle. "Jun Dialga wins the first move!"

Hikari jumped into the air in joy. "Jun won! Jun won!"

Shinji nodded in approval. "Now that's what I call a comeback." He looked at Kengo and Akira. "Looks like Ichiro's kouhai beat him in his own game."

"How interesting," Akira hummed. "I never thought I'd see Ichiro-Senpai lose."

"I heard that!" Ichiro shouted from the platform. "I'm just as normal as anyone else, Akira-Kun!"

Akira stuck out a tongue playfully.

"Well played, Team Shinji, well played." Kengo gave them applause. "It seems like we have a rocky battlefield, so this might take a while." He noticed Takeshi approaching them. "Let's start this." Kengo and Akira prepared to fight. "We can't underestimate you, though."

Hikari smiled devilishly. "You shouldn't. If you do for even a second, watch me pound my victory into you."

Shinji sighed as he rolled his eyes. "Less talk, more battle." He waited for Takeshi to blow the whistle. "But you might want to watch your back."

Takeshi stepped into the battlefield and raised his arm. "Team Shinji vs. Team Kengo, commence battle!" The moment he signaled the start, the opponents moved in a flash.

Hikari jumped high into the sky, in an attempt to blind them, while Shinji disappeared into the shadows. Kengo and Akira didn't fall for it. They expected Shinji to ambush them from the shadows while Hikari distracted them. However, they didn't take just that into account. It also could've been the opposite. The two separated from each other right before Hikari or Shinji could attack them.

Jun prepared to shoot an arrow at any of his opponents. He had the arrow in his fingers, ready to attack at anything. Of course, Ichiro wasn't going to allow that. Ichiro kept an eye on the blonde while focusing on the battlefield.

Kengo and Akira hid behind large rocks to cover themselves from attack. However, they couldn't let their guards down. The two had a Dialga, Cresselia, and Darkrai that could attack from anywhere. The one they had to mainly watch out for was Shinji Darkrai, the one being that can move through and as shadows.

Kengo gripped the hilt of his katana tighter. _Geez, it's only been a minute, and I __**already**__ feel nervous!_ He took a quick glance at Akira and met his eyes. They nodded to each other. The two ran out of their hiding spots and found Hikari all alone.

She was startled. She hadn't expected them to come out so quickly. _Where's Shinji-Senpai?_ Nevertheless, it was up to her to throw them off. She bit her lip and prepared to go into combat with two opponents.

Seeing how Shinji hadn't appeared for a while, Kengo and Akira decided to try defeating Hikari first. They brought their blades down at the same time.

Adrenaline was running through Hikari's blood, giving her the ability to move without giving thought. In her vision, the world became slow. It was as if it was placed in the palm of her hands. Without another second to waste, she ducked and deflected the blades with her own. Kengo and Akira jumped back, surprised.

"What?" Akira exclaimed. "How is that possible?"

"He's strong, alright," Kengo admitted. "But he can't keep that up too long! Let's go!" Now they split and went around her. Hikari didn't flinch or look the least bit panicked. Her expression became impassive, as if nothing was interesting her at all. Her eyes did seem to glance behind her. Unfortunately, Kengo caught that.

_So he'll be coming out from her shadow, huh? Clever, but not cunning enough,_ Akira smugly thought. He suddenly pivoted in front of Hikari and jumped into the sky. "Not this time, Darkrai!" As for Kengo, he charged at Hikari from behind. "Agility!" Akira and Kengo were surrounded by a green light and increased their speed. They were faster than before!

While Kengo was planning to trip Hikari, Akira was going to catch hold of her when she jumps. However, they underestimated the her. A second before their attacks met Hikari, she twisted in mid-air! As she did so, Shinji suddenly materialized from the shadows and grabbed Kengo by the collar.

Shinji hurled Kengo to the opposite side of the field, and Hikari kicked Akira down to the ground. Jun shot an arrow at Kengo's sleeve to hold him when he hit a rock. Ichiro was definitely not going to let that happen. He shot an arrow at Jun's to deviate it from its original path.

"Wha-?" Jun looked at Ichiro, only to find him shaking his head smugly at the blonde. "… Damn."

Kengo bounced off another rock and flew at Shinji. An orb formed at the palm of his hands and flung it at Shinji. "Aura Sphere!" Then, he moved his hands to his mouth, like a funnel. "Hydro Pump!" He spewed a powerful burst of water to join forces with the Aura Sphere.

"Pfft," Shinji sighed, "Pathetic." He grabbed his sword with only one hand, pointing the tip at the oncoming attack. He drew a circle around it, a dark ring following his movements. "Dark Pulse." With a small push of his sword, it became a beam of dark rings. They destroyed the aura sphere, causing an explosion.

And what explosion didn't include smoke?

The smoke hovered over the whole battlefield, disabling sight. It was too bad that Ichiro had the ability of x-ray vision. He rolled his eyes at how startled and idiotic they looked when they couldn't see. It was an amusing scene to see. "Geez…" He heard a much familiar sound and ducked. An arrow shot past above his head. "Whoa there, Jun-Kun. You could've decapitated me."

"Oh please," Jun laughed, "With your keen sense of sight and hearing, there's no way you can be." He looked closely at the arrow. "Besides, these things are rigged so that they won't harm anyone too seriously."

"You already figured all that in just a few minutes?" Ichiro asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I've always had this kind of skill," Jun smugly declared. "My knowledge is especially helpful in these kinds of battles." Something caught his senses. It was coming from Hikari's direction. "Hikaru! Akira's going to use Screech!" On cue, an ear-piercing sound echoed throughout the battlefield. Hikari's shrieked at how painful it pounded against her ears. "HIKARU!"

But suddenly, the screech stopped and Akira let out a grunt of pain. "Ugh!"

"Thanks, Jun!" Hikari shouted. She then looked around her. The smoke wasn't clearing up, and there was no way to attack without using ears. _This has become extremely annoying… No choice, then._ Multiple copies of her appeared and split up. It was better to try her luck than doing nothing until the smoke cleared.

Meanwhile, Shinji and Kengo were going all-out. They didn't need vision. Shinji was already an elite-skilled student, and Kengo had the power of a legendary Pokémon. There was no way a little thing like this was going to stop them.

Collisions of their blades were heard.

"Ancient Power!" Kengo lifted his arms with his strength as large pieces of rock began to float. "Hah!" He threw them at Shinji.

"Gotta do better than that." Shinji disappeared into the shadows and traveled across the ground. In the world of shadows, all he could see were shadows. Despite the smoke creating a shadow, he was keen enough to sense what was human or an object. He grabbed Kengo by the ankle and pulled him. "Faint Attack."

Kengo met ground with a lot of pain in his nose, but that didn't stop him. "Spacial Rend!" He then slammed the ground with his tail and hit Shinji. The ground was engulfed in a dark violet circle.

"Guaaaaah!" Shinji cried. There was pain striking at every nerve of his body. His wound was pounding with desperation to make it stop. _Damn it all!_ He had to get Kengo off of him somehow. "No choice, huh…?" He trembled as he lifted his palm at Kengo. A small ball of black formed. "Sorry about this, but there's no choice right now. Dark Void." The small orb collided with Kengo, surrounding him in a world of darkness.

He lost consciousness and lost strength. Shinji sighed in relief and moved Kengo's tail aside. The smoke was beginning to disappear. "Tch, it decides to disappear _now_?" He averted his attention to Kengo, whose face twisted in fear. "… I can't do anything to wake you up, so I'll just be draining some of your energy."

Shinji then turned into a shadow-like figure and proceeded to pass through Kengo. No one could hurt him if he was in this state. He passed through Kengo and recovered some of his injuries. Unfortunately, when Kengo comes to, he's going to feel quite weak. Even the prince felt slightly bad for the brown-haired fellow. "Better luck next time."

Ichiro felt Kengo's aura fade into a small flame. "Tch, looks like Kengo's down." He found Shinji simply walking away from the boy. "Hm? Why isn't he eliminating Kengo from the battle?"

"That's probably because of what Hikaru requested him," Jun answered, "Hikaru apparently wanted to battle Kengo on his own, so he requested that Shinji doesn't out him if he ever battles Kengo."

"Boo." Ichiro chuckled.

Jun shrugged. "Hey, what can I tell ya? Hikaru is the one person who can get that guy to do something." He then looked at Ichiro. "You know, I kind feel bad that you can't use your powers. You're an electric type, so if you miss, it'll only hit the ground. Not gonna really help with the attacks, huh?"

"Ah, I hoped you wouldn't notice…" Ichiro murmured in dismay. "I can't do anything about it. But maybe I can do something like _this_." He aimed his arrow at Kengo. "Discharge." A ray of electricity sparked from the wood of the arrow. Within half a second, the arrow was shooting towards Kengo's chest. When it hit, it shocked him to the point he woke up. "There we go."

The blonde's jaw dropped. "Wha…? Dammit, I should've seen that coming!" Everything happened in a flash before him… in a _second_! "Damn, Shinji's effort went to waste! But you do know you just took away more of Kengo's health, right?"

Ichiro smirked at Jun's comment. "I know. But he's not that weak. He's got a legendary Pokémon as his partner. He's gonna be hard to take down." He took a second to think. "At the most, his health is probably at half by now."

"Thanks, Ichiro-Senpai!" Kengo shouted. He then rushed back into the battlefield. Shinji dodged his oncoming kick. "Worst trick ever, dude."

Shinji cocked a brow with the most deadpanned eyes. "What trick?" The word 'Evil' was written all over his face. A vein popped in Kengo's forehead, irritated from the prince's jokes. "By the way, thanks for the energy. It was a good meal." Another session of sword-fighting commenced.

Hikari was hiding behind a rock, covered in cuts. Akira had used Fury Cutter on her while she was distracted by Shinji's cry of pain. _Agh, I hate it when cuts actually hurt more than wounds,_ she grimly thought. Most of her duplicates were defeated, and there was only a few left around.

It was a little game of hide-and-seek, Akira's favorite game during a battle.

"Mind Reader," Akira whispered under his breath. He focused his thoughts on the blue-haired shinobi, trying to hear his thoughts.

_This isn't going to work,_ he heard_, What can I do to throw him off for just a few seconds?_

Akira rolled his eyes smugly at how naïve she was. "You know, if you think like that, you'll never win this," he plainly stated. He heard the panic cycling around Hikari's thoughts. "Pfft, really? You must be nearby if you heard me."

_OH SHOOT, what if mom's watching this?_

"…" Akira felt dumbfounded for a moment. "Wait, what?" He gave up and hopped on every rock with extreme speed. _Forget this. I'm going to find you and get you out once and for all._ "I'm done playing games, bluey." Akira stopped, looking down on a familiar face.

A dark, ominous shadow loomed over Hikari. Her eyes widened as she turned her head to see a devil's grin slapped on Akira's face. "… Oh Arceus, help me."

"Too late!" With a blink of an eye, Akira was an inch away from Hikari. He brought his sword up to her neck as if planning to slice it.

"Oh no, you're not!" Hikari countered Akira and struggled to hold him back. She had to be aware of his lightning speed and strength. They may have been the same age, but that didn't mean he was weak as her. _Screw this damn…!_

"Language, Hikaru-San," Akira warned, "I still have Mind Reader for a few more minutes. I can read _whatever_ you're thinking right now."

_Would you believe me if I said my clone is right behind you?_ Hikari jumped back as her clone attacked Akira.

Akira countered her attack and wounded her with Fury Cutter. He then turned back to the real Hikari to attack her. However, she was gone! "Alright then, where are you?" Suddenly, he felt warm drops on his cheek. The Hikari that he had attacked was the real one! "Shit!"

Hikari's finger was surrounded by a pink glow when she pointed to the sky. Gray clouds quickly gathered and formed a spiral, centering on her one finger. "It finally seems like it's time for you to go, Akira-Kun." Hikari smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry!" The instant she brought her finger down, a large beam of light was brought down upon Akira. As soon as the light disappeared, Hikari gently pressed her blade on Akira's neck.

Takeshi blew a whistle. "Akira Tekkanin has been eliminated from the match! Continue battle!" Akira was taken out from the battlefield by a stream of light and transferred to the audience.

Kengo's eyes widened. _What? Akira was defeated? By him?_ He powerfully deflected Shinji's sword and escaped. _That's impossible. Akira's one of the fastest people I know!_

Shinji smugly chuckled. "I never thought he would've used such a strong move." He glanced ahead of him, where he was certain Hikari and Kengo were about engage in combat. "Well, I'd better go and help that idiot." However, he was stopped by Ichiro's arrow. "Tch, are you really going to make this hard for me?"

Ichiro grinned, giving Shinji a little wave. Jun rolled his eyes and shot an arrow at Ichiro. Of course, he ducked. "You still can't get me, you know."

Jun blew a few strands of hair away. "I don't care… as long as Shinji can get to Hikaru, I'm willing to attempt at getting you anytime." He pulled his arrow toward Ichiro. A white glowing orb was forming at the tip of it. "If I shoot this, you'll be blinded_ and_ hurt too."

"Ah, ah, ah, you can't take down archers, remember?"

"… Hm." Jun lowered his bow. "I figured, but that wasn't meant for you." Ichiro felt a wave of panic when he realized what Jun was talking about. He tried to stop Jun, but… "Too late, Ichiro-Senpai." The blonde shot the arrow, which was flying toward Kengo. It was too late for Ichiro to swerve it away from its path.

The arrow struck the ground between Kengo and Hikari.

"Uh-oh," Hikari squeaked. She ran away from the arrow to a nearby boulder to hide. Unfortunately, Kengo couldn't escape fast enough. The arrow exploded into a blinding light and wiped out some of the rocks. It even blew Kengo away in the midst of the attack.

When the light faded away, Hikari peered into their original battle spot. He wasn't there! "W-where…?"

"Hikaru! Run!" Jun shouted. "He's in a different space dimension!"

Hikari flew up in the sky… before Kengo appeared from a dimensional hole to attack her. She sighed in relief. Her heart was beating so quickly from the suspense. She spotted Shinji coming over to her. A whooshing sound caught her ear, and she managed to dodge an arrow shot by Ichiro. "Whew, that was close."

Shinji finally arrived to the area and looked up to find Hikari dodging arrows from Ichiro. Jun was doing his best to get most of the arrows though. "Get down here, you idiot! Just because you're in the sky doesn't mean he can't attack you there!"

"WHAT?" The warning came late. A dimensional hole suddenly appeared in front of her and a pump of water was shot at her. She took the hit and plunged towards the ground.

"Watch out!" Shinji slid towards her to break the fall. He managed to catch her in his arm and slung Hikari over his shoulder. "Don't just stand there and watch! You have to react when I say something!" Something suddenly caught him off-guard. "Do you eat?" he murmured. "You're… much lighter than I thought."

Hikari blushed heavily. "S-Stop running! Let me down!" Shinji did so. "T-that doesn't matter! We've got to defeat Kengo!"

"Not if I can help it!" Ichiro replied from the platform." He shot a single arrow and called, "Double Team!" The arrow multiplied into hundreds of them!

Shinji gripped Hikari's shoulder. "There are only three real ones. Ichiro added in two more arrows just now."

"Aqua Tail!" Kengo slammed his tail against Hikari and Shinji, making them fly back. "Good job Ichiro-Senpai!" He caught the three arrows that Ichiro had shot. The two crashed against a large rock, which then cracked into little pieces.

Shinji stifled the cry of pain that was trying to burst out of his throat. "Ngh…!" He swore he felt something warm ooze down his arm. _Goddammit!_ He fell on the ground, trying his best to hold himself up and awake. It wasn't sleep that was threatening to make him unconsciousness, but the desire to escape from the pain for a while. "Grah!" He fell on his uninjured arm.

"Shinji-Senpai? Senpai!" Hikari gasped. "Pull yourself together!" She paused… "Wait…" She looked at her palm, which was completely covered in blood! "Someone – MMPH!" Her mouth was gagged by Shinji's hand.

"Don't you _dare_ tell anyone about this!" he hissed. "I'm fine, so let me fight."

She gulped in worry. But she had no choice. If Shinji was this insistent on fighting, she was going to oblige. "Yes, sir." She helped him up and looked at Kengo, who was waiting for them to make their move. "That guy's mocking us."

"You're not going to let him do that, are you?" Shinji smirked. "Look, I'm really fine. This is nothing." He then looked at Hikari's injuries. "What happened to you?" He noticed that she was covered in scratches, a few gashes, and blood oozing out of them.

"Akira decided to go all-out." Hikari nervously laughed. "Anyways, let's go beat that guy!"

The two ran over to Kengo. "Geez, where were you? I was getting bored waiting for you guys." He smiled smugly at them. "What are you waiting for?" He gestured to them to attack him. "Attack me already, will ya?"

Shinji sighed roughly. "I should teach you not to talk so condescendingly toward your senpai." He prepared his Dark Pulse in his hand.

"Double Team!" Clones of Hikari appeared around Kengo. They all pointed their katana at him, an orb of Aurora Beam threatening to attack him. "You sure you don't want to forfeit?"

Kengo smirked. "Are you sure _you_ don't want to?" He jumped, his fist drawn back. "Spacial Rend!" He punched the ground and a dark circle engulfed all the clones. Every clone of Hikari disappeared, but the real one was nowhere to be found. "Where are you…?"

"Aren't you just glad that the sun's in the right position right now?" Shinji's sarcastic voice echoed throughout the battlefield. Kengo looked behind him to see if Shinji was behind him.

But he looked the wrong way. Since he turned around, his shadow was now in front of him. Shinji had materialized out of Kengo's shadow before Kengo can even realize. Shinji punched Kengo square in the face. Kengo was sent flying towards Hikari, who was ready to shoot Aurora Beam at Kengo. Shinji also prepared to shoot Dark Pulse at him also.

When he was the middle of both of them, they shot their attacks at him. Shinji and Hikari then shot themselves through their own rings to get a boost of speed. When they both arrived to the center, they high-fived each other and kicked Kengo to the ground.

"Ugh…" Kengo grunted painfully. He found Shinji and Hikari towering over him with their blades pressing on his neck. "Alright, alright." Kengo laughed. "You guys got me real good."

Takeshi blew his whistle that signaled the end of the battle. "Kengo Palkia has been defeated! Team Shinji wins the match!" The audience burst into enthusiastic cheer. It was one of the best battles they've ever watched!

"Congratulations to Team Shinji!" Reiji stood up and applauded. "Team Kengo, you did your very best! You will surely be rewarded for your efforts!"

Hikari slapped her hanging mouth shut from surprise. "We… we won…?" she slowly breathed out. Jun rushed over to them in excitement. "Jun, we won! We totally won, dude!"

"You two were amazing!" Jun remarked. "The way you overwhelmed Kengo? That was genius!" He rubbed Hikari's head with his knuckle. "You little dream boy, you!"

"Ow, Jun! Ow, that hurts!" Even so, Hikari laughed from the joy of victory.

Shinji patted Hikari and Jun's heads. "You two did great," he quietly said. When he received surprised reactions in response, he sighed hesitantly. "I mean it. But don't expect me to compliment you everyday, got it?"

Hikari laughed, her cheeks turning a tint of pink. "Roger that, Shinji-Senpai."

~x~x~

"… What do you think, sir?"

"It obviously can't be that blonde or the prince. It could be that blue-haired shinobi."

"But we do not have enough proof yet, sir."

"Did you do a background check on that boy?"

"Yes, sir. His name is Aikawa Hikaru and 10-years old. His family is (mother) Aikawa Ayako, (the deceased father) Aikawa Katsumi Celebi, and (twin sister) Aikawa Hikari. Their mother runs a café in Futaba Town, but she is quite sickly so his twin sister is helping out."

"Did you just say that his father is _the_ Celebi?"

"Yes, sir."

"Ah, that man… He was a rebel of society. He foiled my plans back then. I can't believe he just died without giving me an opportunity to torture him."

"Akagi-Sama, you shouldn't jump into conclusions so quickly." A purple-haired woman shook her head. "Give me that." She read over a scroll that contained Hikaru's background information. "Apparently, the father didn't reveal what he was doing to his family… except that he was just part of the war. He didn't disclose any information about him involved with the Murasaki Legacy."

Akagi groaned. "Then the Dream Messenger _can't_ be that boy!" He slammed his hand on the arm of his chair. "Then who's the Dream Messenger?"

"Unfortunately, you won't be able to find that out immediately," a different voice sounded from behind Akagi and his commanders. They all turned around in shock. A mysterious man dressed in all black was standing behind them. "It's going to be hard to get information from here, considering how no one 'royal' other than Prince Reiji and Prince Shinji can enter Tobari Shinobi Academy."

"…!"

The mysterious man smiled through his mask. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"You…!"

The man's eyes turned grave. "If you ever lay a finger on any of the students here, you _will_ deal with me… Akagi." He crossed his arms and shook his head. "You know, I still remember everything you did."

"Y-you…"

"C'mon, Akagi. I'm sure you remember me, right?"

"Tch."

"Anyways…" The man cracked his sore joints. "The Dream messenger is not that boy. Try it again… but I wouldn't recommend it." He then disappeared in a green portal.

Akagi gritted his teeth and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Damn it."

"Who was that, Akagi-Sama?"

"I have a headache. Leave."

His commanders left the room to give him time to think.

Who was that mysterious man that appeared out of nowhere? Why did the man shock Akagi to the point he turned pale? No one knew who he was, except Akagi.

…

The man took off his mask and sighed. "I can't believe he suspected her."

"_But it can't be helped! Shinji-Kun is injured, so there's no one else AT THE MOMENT who has skills as good as him!"_

"I cannot believe this. I thought Akagi would've given up."

"_But he now knows that it still exists."_

"I don't blame Shinji-Kun. He's doing this for the sake of the people. Besides, it doesn't matter. He can't find it." The man turned to his partner. "I am so frustrated. I can't even protect my own little girl! Akagi's already suspected her! I've barely managed to make him drop his suspicion of her."

"_I'm sure he won't suspect her anymore."_

"I'm afraid that I'm going to lose my own daughter someday." The man took out a pair of glasses from his uniform. "What am I going to do, Celebi?"

"_Katsumi-Kun…"_

"Who's there?" Satoshi's voice was heard yards away behind him. "Hello?"

Katsumi quickly put on his glasses and changed his form. "Thanks for the help, Celebi," he whispered, "Tropius can take it from here." He threw his mask into a nearby bush. His clothes changed instantly into his Tropius form. Large leaf wings grew from his back, along with delicious-looking yellow fruits. He breathed deeply.

Satoshi appeared from the trees. "Ah! Katsu-Sensei, what are you doing here?" He looked around. "I thought you would've been watching Team Shinji's match!"

"Oh, I've watched their battle," Katsumi replied. "I am quite proud of them, especially that boy Hikaru. He's grown strong in a short period of time." He nudged his glasses up and smiled pleasantly. "What about you, Satoshi-Kun? What are you doing here?"

"I was just doing a little patrolling." Satoshi looked around again before whispering, "I ran into the royal military earlier, and they were saying something about the Dream Messenger."

"The Dream Messenger, you say?" Katsumi questioned. "Well, what do you think about it?"

"I dunno. But I did manage to get them scrambling away. Plus, they had Shinji."

"Shinji-Kun?"

Satoshi shrugged indifferently. "Yeah. They were comparing his face to their stupid drawing of the Dream Messenger." His eyes once again turned cold. "Now _why_ would the military come to this academy, hm?" He leaned against a tree, thinking hard about it. "Perhaps they think that if they catch the Dream Messenger, they'll find the Murasaki Legacy."

"Well, he _did_ mention that the Murasaki Legacy still exists."

"Does it, though?" Satoshi then averted his attention to Katsumi. "Does it really exist… Legendary Time Traveler Katsumi-San?"

Katsumi swallowed a lump of uneasiness down his throat. Satoshi was right.

Midorikawa Katsu-Sensei was Aikawa Katsumi Celebi, the Legendary Time Traveler Katsumi…

…

Also known as… Aikawa Hikari's father.

~x~x~

_A/N: Hm… I'm not sure if that was a juicy enough chapter for you guys to forgive me, but here you go. Team Shinji vs. Team Kengo has been served with a warm dish of another new identity._

_Geez, **everyone**'s getting their identities revealed now. Whose, you say? Easy._

_Hikari and her identity as Hikaru._

_Shinji and his identity as the Dream Messenger._

_Satoshi and his identity as an actual smart and serious person._

_Katsu-Sensei and his identity as Aikawa Katsumi Celebi, Hikari's father._

_**Questions**_

_**What did you think of this chapter?  
How was the battle between Team Shinji and Team Kengo? (It's practically the majority of the chapter.)  
Will you say that the battle was too short? (I hope you don't…)  
Did you expect Katsu-Sensei to be Hikari's father AND the Katsumi Celebi?  
What do you think will develop between Shinji and Kengo?  
What do you want to happen in the next chapter? (Team Kouhei vs. Team Shinji will come a little later.)  
Any ideas you'd like to share? :] **_

_I was on a roll lately. This chapter just somehow came to me. Please review about how you thought of it!_


	11. After Battle

_A/N: I'd like to thank my readers for cheering me on to update. I've been a bit down lately, but I feel like I can write stories again. Thanks, guys! Happy Thanksgiving!  
_

_By the way, my style of writing may have changed a bit – in a good or bad way, that's up to you. An example is __**less**__ use of suffixes like '-chan', '-kun', or '-san'. Oh, and for the reviewers who mentioned about our use of names, please read the author's note in the bottom too, okay? I'd appreciate it. ^^_

**Tobari Shinobi: Shinou Scandal****  
CH 11:**** After Battle**

"I asked you… Does it exist," Satoshi paused, "Legendary Time Traveler Aikawa Katsumi-San?"

Katsumi's lip quivered for second. His deep oceanic blue eyes met chocolate brown eyes with disbelief. "Satoshi-Kun, who are you talking to?" He turned around, checking if someone was behind him. He nervously laughed. "Did you just call me the Legendary Time Traveler? How peculiar, Satoshi-Kun."

Satoshi's eyes didn't change. They remained still on Katsumi, as if they were trying to peek into his soul.

The teacher knew he lost. There was no way to change such a stubborn mind like Satoshi's. But it was a bad idea to stay here any longer. At this rate, Satoshi might trap him somehow.

But it was a little too late.

Katsumi felt the atmosphere around them drop like a suction cup trying to suck them out of the forest. The air felt heavy like it was shifting its full weight on him. It was hard to step out from the area. He was much stronger than Satoshi, but that was not what immobilized him. He felt the anger and determination spewing out of Satoshi's aura.

_He's using his Pressure in the atmosphere rather well, isn't he?_, he thought. A drop of sweat rolled down his cheek as he slowly turned his head to Satoshi. "Perhaps another time, Satoshi-Kun. I'm not quite ready to talk yet. I hope you can understand." With that, the atmosphere eased down. Katsumi gave a small nod of thanks and went on his way. Even so, he felt those brown eyes trying to bore a hole into his heart.

Satoshi watched Katsumi walk away. He sighed deeply. "Just what is he hiding?" he asked himself.

… It was best not to question the boy.

Katsumi climbed a tall tree that poked its head into the sky. He sat on a branch and leaned against the tree, feeling the cool breeze that stirred the leaves about.

"Hikari… Ayako…" He looked up at the blue sky, the image of Ayako holding baby Hikari in her arms appearing before his eyes. It didn't seem like his heart could take it anymore. A single tear escaped his eye, and more and more continued to pour out. "I'm alive… I'm alive…" He gritted his teeth, holding his face in his hand like he was trying to hide the tears he had suppressed all these years.

His heartbroken cry was carried away by the wind into silence.

x.o.x.o.x

Hikari suddenly turned her head to the forest, surprised by her sudden action. "Huh…?"

Shinji and Jun took notice. "What's wrong? You heard something?" Shinji asked.

She shook her head, brushing it away. "I-it's nothing! Must've been my imagination!"

"I'm sorry?" Shinji caught her eye and cocked a brow. He then smirked evilly. "You're not wanting to train more, are you?"

"U-uh, n-no, of course not!" Hikari flailed. She suddenly had another urge to look behind her toward the forest. Oddly, her heart had a tingling feeling… and it wasn't good.

"H-hey, Hikaru, you alright there?" Jun sounded like he was panicking. Hikari turned to the two boys in front of her. "Whoa-! Wh-what's up?! You hurt?!"

Hikari blinked once. It wasn't until the second blink she noticed something wet and warm on her cheeks. She brushed her eyes with her fingers, drops of tears adorning the tips.

"Why am I-?"

Shinji drew closer, a look on the verge of concern written on his face. "Are you that scared?"

Unable to think of any other excuses, she hung her head and shyly nodded. "I just… I just didn't think the competition would be this tough, Senpai. But I'll be fine, really!" She hurriedly wiped the remaining tears away and smiled.

"Let's go." Shinji gestured the both of them to the medic tent. "It's time for the next battle to begin."

Jun followed him, but Hikari remained in her exact spot for a few more seconds. She looked back at the forest, where her body seemed to automatically turn to earlier.

"_Hikari-Chan, is everything okay?"_ Cresselia whispered. _"I sensed something strange within your heart."_

"Of course! No need to worry!" Hikari replied. "I'm just… wondering what that was all about." She petted Cresselia, who was perched on her shoulder comfortably. "Thanks for worrying, Cresselia."

Hikari lingered a little longer before turning back to catch up to Shinji and Jun. Still, she couldn't help but feel as if something (or someone) was in that forest… calling out to her.

"Hikaru!" Shinji called sternly.

"Coming, coming!" Hikari chirped. She made her way inside the medic tent to find Kengo and his team. They were all treated… and covered in bandages. Their partners were gathered in a group in the center of the patients. They were also being treated by the medic's Pokémon. "Oh hey!" She took a seat next to Shinji. "Sorry to hurt you guys like that." Nope. She wasn't sorry at all.

Cresselia giggled at the sight of her own fellow Pokémon bandaged up. _Oh my, what a lovely sight_, she thought.

Akira pouted. "I heard that." He pointed to Ninjask, who looked equally annoyed. "I still got Mind Reader on." He then pointed to Shinji. "By the way, you might want to treat him."

Ichiro looked at Hikari and Jun worriedly. "It seems he has some serious wounds that need some attention."

Shinji jerked his head up at Akira and Ichiro, his eyes widening for a split second. He then rolled his eyes. "Tch, I can't hide anything from you, can I?"

"Not really," they replied simultaneously.

The prince rolled his sleeves up to show his injury. It was the injury Mars had given him that night. The bandages he had put on were already soaked with his blood, for the battle had caused it to open once again. He softly hissed as he unraveled the bandages. He had to put on new ones anyways.

He had to think of the next plan of attack. But he couldn't do that with Akira's Mind Reader focused on him.

Shinji was replaying that moment when he heard Akira lost to Hikari. _You shouldn't have kept your guard down, Akira._

Akira looked up at Shinji, hearing his thoughts. He gave him a deadpanned look and rolled his eyes. "Very funny." Ichiro nudged Akira on the arm and laughed. "Senpai, don't start with me," he whined.

Shinji was too preoccupied with distracting his thoughts that he didn't hear Hikari's loud gasp.

"S-senpai…" Shinji snapped out of his thoughts. Really. His wound couldn't have been that bad! Besides, Hikari overreacted quite a lot. It was normal of him to react like that.

"_Shinji."_ It was Darkrai this time. He turned his head to glare at both of them.

Oh.

His injury was fresh. The rocks that he and Hikari crashed into had opened his wound. Continuing to fight despite the pain didn't help his wound any further either. It was a wide gash. It wasn't just the normal cut of a sword gash. No. This was a gash made by a sword that dug into his skin and carved it out. Pools of blood were beginning to form on the edges of his wound, slowly dripping down his arm to the ground.

Shinji shut his eyes for a second before looking back at it. He couldn't believe this was how bad his injury was.

Jun and the others looked away. It must've been painful for him to endure. Hikari was different. She was breathing heavily, not knowing what to do. The other medics were too busy with the other students who had suffered from injuries in their battles.

If it was blood, scars, gashes, or anything like this, Shinji was used to it. But this one. He just didn't know how to look at it properly. The gash just seemed to glare at him and remind him of that night. His breathing suddenly hitched for a second, making him look away and lower his arm. He didn't want to look at it either. The herb he had applied a few nights ago didn't seem to work very well.

Blood began to trickle down his arm and onto the mat.

Hikari gulped. "Senpai. May I take a look at your arm?" She had to treat him, or it wasn't going to heal.

"…" Shinji was hesitant. This was Hikari after all. What would he able to do? He raised his arm to Hikari. "Do what you can." Not that he expected much from his kouhai.

Hikari quickly grabbed the medic kit and opened it up. There were disinfectants, ointments, and bandages. Perfect. Just what she needed. She looked over to the four people who were watching her. "… Don't just stare! Get me some wet towels! Make sure the water is clean!" After a minute of preparing treatment, she turned her head to see the four still sitting there.

"…" They were silent.

Hikari's brow twitched. Her expression became irritated. "NOOOOW!" she bellowed. It got them scrambling to get the water and towel. She blew a few hair strands away to clear her vision.

Shinji smirked and lightly chuckled. "You know, my impression of you has been completely remade now."

"Hm, I'm glad to know that your personality hasn't changed, senpai. Besides, I can't leave an injured person alone." In truth, she hated the sight of blood. It's not like it made her sick to the stomach. Rather, she was quite used to it. Back in the days, she used to help her mother with any injured shinobi who came by the café.

The sight of blood just reminded her of the harsh and cruel things that were out there. People… things… even Pokémon that wouldn't care of who they hurt.

Jun rushed to Hikari with a bowl of water and plenty of towels. "Here! You good to go?"

"Yeah, this is fine. Thanks, Jun." She dipped a towel into the water and held Shinji's arm with one hand. "Now, senpai, I'm going to clean your wound. Tell me if it hurts too much." She began to wipe the blood around the wound, making sure that the towel doesn't touch the gash just yet. She concentrated on the treatment, tuning everything else out.

Shinji was surprised, of course. He didn't think a person like Hikari would be this strong around blood. "You've… dealt with these kinds of situations, haven't you?" Seeing how Hikari's eyes flickered at him at the question, he understood. "You've lived a tough life, haven't you?" He watched her clean his wound, studying how careful she was not to hurt him.

However, her hands were covered in small wounds. It wasn't too bad, but she was the only who didn't get treated yet. "Okay, I'll be applying the ointment now. It might sting, though."

Shinji sighed. "As helpful as you are," he paused to grab her hand and pointed at her wounds, "you need to treat yourself."

"But…"

"No buts." Shinji pointed at Hikari's arms. "You should be treating yourself. You may not have a major wound like I do, but you have cuts everywhere and blood is starting to seep through them." He raised a brow. "A shinobi must be in good condition to help their comrades. That's what I was taught." He gently pried the wet towel from Hikari's hands. "Go."

Hikari nodded hesitantly and walked to one of the medics to wait for treatment.

Jun approached Shinji and sat down next to him. "You sure you're okay by yourself? I can help."

"Of course," Shinji replied firmly, "This isn't the first time I've done this." He applied the wet towel gently over his wound. He held back a hiss, only keeping a cold look on his face.

While Hikari was being treated by Haruka, she looked over at Shinji. It seemed like Shinji was managing well. She tore her eyes away when Shinji looked up at her. _Well, duh, he _IS_ the prince after all_, she thought. Hikari felt slightly discouraged that she couldn't help him.

She stole another look at Shinji. He wasn't looking at her now, but focusing on his wound. She never really noticed how his brows were smoothed out when in concentration, unlike the usual scowl he always had. Was his skin always that tan? She never realized. When she looked a little closer, there were different scars on his body. It just seemed to add to his tough image with his toned muscles.

Her eyes slowly moved down to her hands. She still felt Shinji's grip from earlier. He had larger hands than she did, and they were rather rough too. She thought it nice to have her hand held by a man for the first-

Wait.

"…" Her face suddenly turned beet red. She mentally screamed at the top of her lungs.

Akira toppled over from his seat and covered his ears. "STOP SCREAMING!"

Hikari had forgotten that his Mind Reader was still on. She quickly stopped and pursed her lips.

Ichiro looked over Akira. "… You okay, Akira-Kun?"

Both Akira and Ninjask were sprawled on the floor. Akira's legs twitched as he attempted to form words. "I… Nngh…"

The Pokémon grouped in the center of the two teams were chuckling.

Hikari covered her mouth with her hand, her face flushing bright red.

Haruka, who happened to be treating her, blinked in confusion. "Is everything okay?" she asked. When Hikari gave a slow nod, the brunette hummed with a smile. "I think I know what this might be about. So Akira-Kun, I assume Mind Reader finally disappeared?"

"D-definitely…" Akira sat against the drawers, trying to clear his spinning vision. "Hey, Ninjask, you okay?" Ninjask, who looked just as defeated as Akira, buzzed an OK. "Ugh. I don't wanna go through that again…"

Back in the audience, Kouhei's team was silent. To think that two _juniors_ were able to beat Akira's blinding speed and Ichiro's outstanding eyesight. Even with a pact with a legendary Pokémon of space, Kengo was defeated.

"To think they actually won against them…" Takuto muttered under his breath. "We have quite the competition."

"Please!" Kouhei sneered. "They were just lucky because the Prince was with them." He adjusted his glasses, the sun shining on his lenses. "They will be for now." Kouhei looked around, noticing that his team was one member short. "… Where's Shigeru?"

Takuto pointed to the medic's tent. "He went to talk to a friend of his."

Kouhei rolled his eyes in disgust. "I think you mean his "girlfriend", to be more exact."

x.o.x.o.x

Leaf was sanitizing the supplies, having finished the bandaging for a competitor.

Shigeru poked his head into the tent. "Leaf, ya there? I need to talk to you." Said medic looked up, her eyes coming into contact with Shigeru's. He motioned her to step outside.

Narrowing her eyes, Leaf followed Shigeru out the tent.

Before he was able to speak, Leaf slapped Shigeru on the arm. "OW! What was that for?!" he hissed.

"What the hell are you guys up to?" Leaf quietly growled. "I heard everything, Shigeru. Are you four planning on hurting Hikaru's teammates?" She pulled the other's collar, her enraged blue orbs dangerously boring into his green ones. "Listen to me, Shigeru. Don't do it. You're going to regret it."

"Did you really think I was gonna go along with him?" A, surprisingly, serious tone adorned the question.

"What?"

"He's a lot younger than me, Leaf," Shigeru pried Leaf's hands off his collar. "I only play along because his actions and words amuse me. I might as well show him that he can't do anything to me for real." He glanced back at Kouhei. "The only stupid one there is Harley. Either he's not aware that Kouhei's just using him or he's bored with life."

Leaf deeply sighed. "Shigeru, you really worry me… I actually thought you were going to hurt them."

Shigeru blinked in confusion. "Wait, since when did you start caring about those three?"

"Because Hikaru is one of the medic's friends. Any friend of theirs is my friend too, you know." Leaf raised a brow as she poked Shigeru's shoulder. "Anyways, are you going to help Kouhei with his scheme?"

"I… might have to." Shigeru smiled apologetically. "Just keep in mind that I don't intend to, okay?"

Opening her mouth to protest, Leaf pursed her lips. Looking defeated, she sighed and crossed her arms. "I just don't understand why you're throwing yourself with his lot. You know I didn't join the medics for you to join that little brat."

Shigeru shook his head. "That's most likely my fault, but I promise you he won't do anything to me." He then gave Leaf a soft kiss on the forehead. "I'll make sure you're not hurt. Just bear with this for now, kay?"

Leaf turned red at Shigeru's actions. "Wha-wha-what do you think you're doing?" she squeaked. "Someone could've seen us!"

"Wouldn't have bothered me." He crossed his arms and lowered himself to Leaf's height. "What I don't get is why you're hiding our relationship."

"Because I don't want you to get in trouble for going out with a medic, a rule that's against policies."

"It wouldn't have hurt to tell your friends?"

"I don't want them going all gaga about it."

"So? You'd be the one with dating experience."

"Can we please drop this subject?" Leaf huffed.

"Try me." Shigeru smirked at Leaf. He then chuckled. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding." He rubbed her head. "I have to go back. Smell ya later!" Leaf watched him run back to the audience and sighed.

"I can never understand him…" Leaf facepalmed before entering the tent again. "Sorry girls, I had an issue to tal-" She paused when she found the other medics looking stiff and rigid as they continued to work. "… You heard everything, didn't you?"

"Um… Sorry, Leaf," Haruka laughed nervously. "I didn't know it was such a sensitive topic to talk about…"

Leaf looked back to see if Hikari and the others were there. Nope, they were gone. She sighed exhaustingly. "Girls, you really need to learn not to invade another girl's privacy."

Kasumi giggled. "At this point, I think we all know we won't listen to that kind of statement."

The girls laughed away.

x.o.x.o.x

The rest of the day passed by with battles, victories, losses, and tension. It was becoming dusk as everyone can see a few stars twinkling in the night.

5 rounds of battles had gone by in a flash that day.

The medics had their hands full with injured teams. It was already becoming dark at an exponential rate too.

Reiji stood up from his chair and clapped twice. With a quick clearing of his throat, he announced, "The Yumi・Katana Competition is now over for the day! I thank you all for your participation in this competition to test your wits, skills, and teamwork! All of you have battled well and your best. As for the audience, I thank you for watching our competition with an eager and excited attitude! We only have 4 days left! I hope you can all join us again for those next few days."

He gestured to the audience platform, where there was no one else but viewers from Tobari Village and a few others nearby. "All Tobari students, please line up next to the exit and see our wonderful audience off."

In a few seconds, the healthy and healed students have formed two lines next to the entrance in a saluting position. The audience eagerly exited the grounds as they greeted "thank you"s and "good bye"s to the students.

"Mommy, mommy! Look! It's Hikaru-san!" A little boy released his mother's hand and ran up to Hikari. "Hey, Hikaru-san!"

Hikari looked both sides before breaking her position. "Hello, did you have fun watching the competition?"

The boy looked at her with shining eyes, nodding excitedly. "Yeah! You were really cool too! I wanna become strong, just like you, Jun-san, and Prince Shinji!"

She giggled and ruffled the boy's hair. "I still have a long way to go, but thank you so much! I'll do my best in the remaining rounds we have!"

"Yeah! You better make it to the finals too… and win!" he exclaimed.

Overcome by joy, Hikari gave the boy a quick hug. "We will! No need to worry!" She then looked up to see the mother of the boy. "Sorry to keep you waiting, ma'am. I hope you enjoyed the competition."

"Why yes I did, sweetie." The mother gave Hikari a heartwarming smile and grabbed her son's hand again. "Do your best, okay?"

Hikari gave her a firm salute and nodded. "Yes, ma'am! No need to worry!"

"Hey, get back to your position!" Shinji hissed under his breath. Shinji and Jun glanced at the mother and son and gave them a small bow of courtesy. The two left the gate. Hikari quickly scrambled back to the saluting position until all the audience has gone.

"Hikaru-kun." Someone called out to Hikari. She turned around to see none other than Katsumi. He was approaching her team with his usual kind and worn-out smile, his blue orbs twinkling in delight. "So you're moving onto the next round, huh? I have to say, I am very proud of your improvement."

"Ah, Katsu-sensei!" Hikari blushed in embarrassment. "Well, I have to thank Shinji-Senpai and Jun. They're the ones who helped me plan out our strategies." She held an arm up, tapping her arm. "We got a lot more training and strategies to try out, and I'm sure we'll win this competition!"

Shinji sighed heavily. Hikari was definitely not up for a longer salute. He glanced at Jun. "_Should we be letting her break salute?"_ he whispered.

"_He's a teacher, so it should be alright."_ Jun shrugged.

"Getting impatient, Shinji-kun?" Katsumi chuckled whole-heartedly.

"There's only a few more left, so keep it up, you three!" Satoshi ran up to them, standing right beside Katsumi. "Midorikawa-Sensei, I-"

"Satoshi-Kun, I need to have a word with you by the way." Katsumi grabbed Satoshi's arm and pulled him away from the lines. Once they were at a quiet spot alone, he released Satoshi's arm. "I'm sorry if I gripped you hard. But you and I need to talk."

"I know." There was a tone of compassion within Satoshi's reply. "You really are him, aren't you…?" He huffed, crossing his arms rather sternly. "Sensei, I don't understand why you're hiding it from your family. They should know that you're still alive."

Katsumi shook his head. "No, Satoshi-kun. They mustn't know." A trace of sadness adorned his smile. "I've been gone for far too long."

"…" Satoshi was silent. "Sen… no… Sir, I would like to admit this to you. When I was very young, I remember that I've seen you before. I was amazed. To be someone like you was what I wanted." He shook his head. "In the legend, you were strong, determined, and compassionate. I respected that. All I see in front of me is a weak-willed old man who's too afraid to face his family."

_Snap._

"Now listen here, boy," Katsumi spoke lowly. "That was the past. I can't ever go back to what I was, not after what I had went through. I will give you guts for saying that to me. But I will not tolerate being called afraid to face my own family." He pointed towards the direction in which Hikari was in. "There are things I can't do anymore. All I can do is watch over while hiding my presence!"

"I don't understand! That's why you need to _try it!_"

"You can't understand a father's feelings, Satoshi-Kun. I'm not talking as the Legendary Time Traveler. I'm talking as a father here." Katsumi shook his head. "I'm sorry for snapping at you. But I do have my own fears, and I don't plan on facing them yet. I'm not ready. Neither is my child or wife."

Satoshi looked like he was about to say something back, but he quickly shut his mouth. He reluctantly nodded. "In other words, you want me to keep your identity a secret, right…?"

"Will you do that for me, please?"

"Fine… But only if you raise my grades in cooking class." _Smack._ "OW! Okay, okay! I was joking!"

Katsumi couldn't help but let a smile crack through. "You better have been."

x.o.x.o.x

Jun and Hikari were in the dorms, while Shinji had stepped out to work with his brother.

"I can't believe the semi-finals will be the day after tomorrow," Hikari muttered into her pillow. She then groaned loudly. "Do they not know the definition of recovery?"

Jun rolled his eyes. "Well what else do you expect from a prestigious school known to train students rigorously, dude?" He lightly smacked Hikari on the head. "Geez, man up. That attitude's gonna get you nowhere."

Hikari muffled a "fine" from the pillow. She turned over and stared at the ceiling. "You know, sometimes I wonder what we're training for."

Jun was playing around with his bow, pulling the string back. "Who knows? Maybe we're training for a war, maybe we're not. But I'm not seeing a war anytime soon. The regions have been in peace ever since the war."

"Heh, it's surprising how I'm the da–_son_–of a hero." Hikari mentally sighed in relief for catching her mistake. "I miss dad. I only knew him from mom's stories, but…"

"Oh, I remember Katsumi-san. He was a nice guy. He gave me a lot of treats back then and spoiled me, ha!" Jun hummed in nostalgia.

"Really now?" I heard he passed away a few months after I was born… you know, with him saving the world and all." Hikari leaned her cheek against the pillow, looking at Jun. "… Say, the Dream Messenger hasn't made a move these past few days. What do you think he's doing?"

"Most likely planning his next move. The guy gotta think too."

A moment of silence passed between them. "I've been thinking about his messages lately."

Jun lowered his bow. "What do you mean?"

"Haven't you noticed that in all of the Dream Messenger's messages, he's always mentioning the government?" Hikari now turned over to prop herself up with her elbows. "What if he's trying to tell us something? Something beyond just the Murasaki Legacy?"

"Perhaps. I've always thought he was trying to bring something back."

"Bring something back?"

"Like, you know, what if the Dream Messenger is trying to find the culprit of the war back then? Or maybe what caused it? Or maybe reveal something that happened during the war?"

"What are you talking about?" Shinji's head popped out of Jun's shadow.

…

…

AAAAAHHHHHH!

x.o.x.o.x

_A/N: Hey guys, it's been a long time, huh? I've forgotten about writing, but after writing this, I feel like I can get back to my fanfics again. :) It looks like I've gotten my fire back!_

_Oh, by the way, I found their ages a little too young for this kind of story. So I updated it a bit. So sorry for the changes again! Hikari (16), Jun (18), Shinji (18). Other characters' will be mentioned on the way. I'll be re-editing some parts of the previous chapters to match the ages, but they're just the little things._

_Also, I've seen a few reviews on our fanfics that there are some who don't like the Japanese names. I understand why you wouldn't like it, but we find it more comfortable to use it that way. But in exchange, we'll change all the Pokémon names into their English names. For now, please bear the human names. ^^"_


End file.
